NEW YORK, NY: “More people are now aware of the human rights violations in Punjab,” said DS. Gill the Secretary of the Punjab Human Rights Organization in an exclusive interview with the WSN at the conclusion of his tour of the United States and Canada.
Gill told the WSN that he had come to make people more aware of the human right violations in India and to establish the branches of the PHRO in the US and Canada,
Commenting on the amendment proposed, on June 30, by congressman Wally Herger and others to cut aid for India till “it allowed Amnesty: International to investigate cases of human rights violations on Punjab, and punished police officials guilty of crimes against women in Punjab, he said that it expressed the solidarity of the Congress with the Sikhs, sent an important message to the Indian authorities and had an immediate effect in improving the situation in Punjab.
The Sikhs of Punjab are proud and grateful to the Congressmen for the amendment, he said adding that the wide bipartisan support for the amendment was important, not the fact that it was narrowly defeated. The final tally was 212 against, 204 for and 16 abstentions.
He also expressed his appreciation to the Sikhs all over the US in lobbying for the amendment and telling their congressmen bout the human right violations in India as well as in organizing the legal aid for Ranjit Singh Gill and Sukh minder Singh who are being sought to be extradited by the Indian government.
All organizations in Canada and the United States supported me, “he said adding that the PHRO would provide literature and its reports to all the Sikh and other Human Right Organizations for information and distribution. “We expect their help in the information, we should pool our energies.”
He had met a large number of non-Sikh Americans during his visit and he said he got a very
Positive response from them, and they promised to take up the issue of human right violations in Pun jab in future.
Washington was the highlight of my trip. I briefed the congress men including Congressman Robert Tore celli and their staff on Human Right situation in Punjab and met with the press at the National Press Club. The response was Very positive, “Gill said.
Reflecting on the possibility of a change in the government in India and its effect in the Punjab situation, he said “there may be a temporary change, police may feel that they will now be more ac countable but the mentality is the same.” Opposition has not articulated any different policy on Pun jab, he added.
The PHRO did not work in isolation, but was in touch with all human Rights groups ‘in “Punjab and’ circulated “Literature amongst them, he said, adding’ that ‘the organization appreciated the work done by R.N. Kumar, Tappan Bose and Ashok Aggarwal’ on human night violations in Punjab. “We held a common convention of human rights activists on 3rd August 1986 in Chandigarh and have attended ‘conferences in Delhi and Bombay on human Rights violations,” he said, adding that the basic principal of Sikh religion was Universal Brother Hood and solidarity against’ the Oppressors.
- Gill was the guest of honor at a dinner held at a’ Manhattan restaurant, attended by prominent American Human Rights activists and a wide cross section of the Sikhs in New York and New Jersey. He addressed the gathering and answered questions.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 24, 1989
