We reproduced a letter written to Calgary Herlad by Mr. S.K Krishan with a copy to W.S.N
Dear Editor,
Your Editorial, “Gandhi Gains ‘At Risk” was misleading and based on fallacious propaganda,
The Govt of India has not allowed any foreign journalist to enter Punjab since 1984. Jonathan Mann the Canadian Journalist was arrested for trying to enter Punjab, Brahma Chellany a reporter for Associated Press has been charged of sedition for sending a report to the times of London, about Punjab from outside the boundaries of Punjab. A group Of USS. Congressmen, organized for a fact finding mission was not permitted to visit Punjab. Amnesty international was also denied permission to send a delegation to Punjab. A group of British Parliamentarians was also not allowed. How did you get the information sir?
May be from Indian newspapers. A distinguished writer recently described the Indian news media, “In a land whose people have for millennia been brought up on a staple diet of improbable myths and legends, the current myth that the country has an unfettered press, would be laughable if it weren’t for the tragic implications ‘of this self-deceptive belief, The letters that bind the India’s national papers, and which prevented them from exposing the disastrous moves of the ruling party in Punjab, are of many kinds. To start with, the biggest of them are owned by the country’s major business houses. The ramifications of this in a tightly controlled economy are obvious. The corporate concerns of these financial houses, with their high financial stakes and their dependence on Govt’s funding institutions combined with state controls, quotas and taxation laws as not to mention the manipulation of trade union,
Rivalaries and much else, exclude at the outset any attempt at excessive editorial zeal. Even those that are not owned by the large corporations would find it impossible to publish at the risk of Gov’t displeasure and all that it implies, such as the denial of newsprint quotas and advertising. So the ‘outer parameters of editorial independence don’t have to be laid down. They are understood.”
‘The “Far Easter economic 1eview “in a recent report on the Indian Press wrote, “more often than not the principle of editorial freedom is observed more in its violation.”
It is not as if the Indian Press is ‘uncritical not from it. But it makes a selective choice of subjects it is safe to be critical about. There is a limitless scope for Broad critical sweeps of editorial indignation against everything from nuclear proliferation to bride burning, to that wicked caste system, to the unprincipled Western powers and so on. These do appear daily in the National Papers. But they help to camouflage editorial prudence, while keeping the public at home ‘and abroad convinced of its crusading worth,
There are many in the Western World who considers media as a democracy. This is an illusion, the Indian dictatorship goes to great lengths to perpetuate, The truth of the matter is that there is no country the world outside or inside the communist block, in which fundamental human rights are so flagrantly denied, You don’t consider any communist country as democratic because of one party system, But what is the difference between one party system and one family’ system as in India, In which democratic country its citizens are blinded by police by forcing nails ‘and purring acid into their eyes. A ‘was done to 30 victims in Bihar in 1980. The Chief Minister of that state claimed that the blinding is “part of our social system.” In which democratic country its minorities are burnt alive like Muslims and Sikhs. According to a report by “citizens for democratic rights in India” more than 300,000 people have been killed in Govt orchestrated riots. After all the riots the Govt has always, just like you in your editorial blamed the minorities for in situating trouble. After the Bhiwandi riots in May, 1904. G.M. Banatwalla, the President of ‘Muslim league replied to the above accusation, “who are the victims?” It is the Muslims who have been killed and burnt alive, it is the Muslims, who have suffered. It is shocking that an accusing finger have been raised against the victims, while the perpetrators go free, get Govt jobs and have been appointed Cabinet Ministers.”
India is a very influential member of an organization called nonaligned countries, along with Cuba and Libya. Would you consider ‘Cubaa non-aligned country? During the last non-aligned countries conference chaired by the Indian PIM, the place of honor was given to Yasser Arafat leader of the P.L.O India has a treaty of cooperation and friendship with USSR the same treaty USSR has with Libya US.S.R supplies aircrafts and weapons to Libya and Indian pilots and technicians train Libyans. India has never condemned any Soviet aggression from Hungry to Afghanistan:
Today, there is a violent, storm gathering on the Indian subcontinent. The gathering storm which ‘once Winston Churchill so. eloquently described ‘as a storm propelled by the designs of the Nazi’s Germany, today the same storm is propelled by the strategic designs Of the Soviet Union and its surrogate India, Afghan people are engulfed by the storm so are the Iranians. Sikhs have been burnt in the same storm, Pakistan is feeling the storm and the threats from India and Soviet Union are increasing daily.
The intensity of Soviet propaganda to which India is subjected is second only to that of So Union, itself. The world over, there are about 61 authorized outlets for the distribution of Soviet propaganda, and of these 21 are in India. In Feb of 1984 the deputy military attached of the Soviet Union was expelled from India for some ambiguous immoral activities, but not a single newspaper in New Delhi published the news.
The tragedy of the Sikh problem is their beliefs that to tyrannies and to tolerate tyranny are both sins. During emergency the Akali Dal, the political party of the Sikhs, was the only opposition party courageous enough to defy the draconian maintenance of internal security act, which gave the police virtually unlimited powers to arrest and detain without trial. Fear of gov’t if the first requirement of any dictator, yet the Sikhs were openly demonstrating that they were not afraid. Many political scientists believe that Mrs. Gandhi regarded the Sikhs as a serious threat to her power and the dynasty. To assure the succession of her son Rajiv Gandhi, to the dynasty founded by her father, Mrs., Gandhi decided to destroy the Sikh power forever. It is a well-known fact that any dictator, who wants to destroy a nation, destroys its culture first, That is why the Indian Army burnt the Sikh library in Amritsar, full three days after the Operation Blue Star was officially over, and the Golden Temple complex was under the control of the Indian Army.
The prime cause be ‘continuing violence between Muslims, Hindu-Harijans and Hindu-Sikhs which threatens to rip the ‘country apart is an organization called Rashtria SwayamSevak Sangh, (R.S.S.), which fantasizes about creating a Hindu kingdom from Afghanistan to Burma, Mahatma Gandhi had described the RSS. As a communal body with a toralarian outlook and compared them to the Nazis and fascists. The symbol of the R.S‘S. is the same Swatika of the Nazis, R.S.S, also inspired the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi,
- Golwalker one of the founders of the RSS set down the vision of RSS very clearly in his book “We published in 1939,” minorities must live by the grace of the majority, only a Hindu could be a true Indian. Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews and Parsis would have to adopt the Hindu culture and language, they must learn to respect and hold in reverence Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but the glorification of the Hindu race and culture. They may slay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu Nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, for less any preferential treatment. Not even citizen’s rights in this country Hindus alone are the Nation and the Muslims and others, if not actually anti-national, are at least outside the body of the nation.”
M.J. Akabar an Indian Journalist wrote in his book, “India the siege within,” “such Hindus want their own theocratic state where they could take revenge on the Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. For a curious anomaly of History: for seven hundred and fifty years no Hindu had held power in Delhi. From 1192 to 1857 Muslim Kings, despite enormous fluctuations in the extent of their control, had sat on the throne of Delhi. In 1857 the British Christians had replaced them.”
Another Indian writer, Bipin Chandra wrote in his book, ‘Communalism in India” “The more rabid and powerful communal elements in the Govt promote the theory that Hindus should seek revenge, or at least compensation, for the wrongs done to them in the medieval period.”
While the Govt of the free world are guided by the economics and commerce, they often exchange Humanity with trade, as the Canadian Govt recently decided to deport 2000 Sikh refugees to please the Govt of India to win some export contracts. But the independent media must stand up for the persecuted and exploited minorities. Yours Sincerely, S.K, Krishanan
Dear Editor,
Being a Sikh, I am extremely upset about the propaganda Indian Govt is doing just to alienate the Sikh Community in U.S.A. and other countries. In my heart I know that this recent event about the Sikh plot to bomb the Air India plane is all Indian Govt’s conspiracy. There are agents of the Indian Gov’t who are willing to take blame, in exchange for handsome lump of money; Indian Gov’t is keen to use such greedy persons. In conclusion, 1 would like to say that the whole thing is of Sikh community in the eyes of the Western people. Well Sikh ‘community is going to face lot more such nasty allegations but Sikhs should stay together even in situations like this. Hey, freedom is not cheap after all.
I have a few grudges against our World Sikh Organization, I don’t think they are doing anything nor should I say enough: Whatever happened to General Bhullar’s speeches? Has he run out of words or has he decided to stay quiet? World Sikh Organization and should get in touch with media more often, should create a fact finding team, It should make video tapes of the Sikh Community’s suffering’s in India, There should be more books about the situation. They should organize free soup kitchens for the hungry all over the United States; All Sikh Organizations should stick together at this juncture. There are so many other things which can be done, but are not being done.
In the end I have another suggestion. Whenever we mention Khalistan anywhere we should use the adjective freedom with it, like Khalistan for Freedom & Liberty. It will be very clear, just from the name itself, what we are struggling for.
Mrs. Singh.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 20, 1986
