Special To WSN PARIS: Sikhs joined other international organizations at an international Human Rights Conference held by international Federation of Human Rights on June 2224. June 22 also marks the storming of the Bastille prison in France in 1789. The Bicentennial is held marked this year.
Official delegates from 80 countries various Human Rights Groups and a number of well-known women activists attended the conference to analyze Human Rights Violations in the world and suggest remedies.
- Jasdey Singh Rai, Manjit Singh, Balbir Singh Brar and Balkar Singh attended the conference as official delegates to this August body. Process of this conference was started early 1988 and Sikh Human Rights Group has been actively involved with the organizers ever since. Film actress habana Azmi was one of the women invited to this conference.
Opening reception was given by Lady Mitrand wife of the President of France. Mr. Mitrand addressed the conference and urged the delegates to continue their struggle to the end. He said, “You militants of human rights you should continue your struggle till your nations get complete freedom.” He further expressed that the French Revolution would only be complete when all nations are free and he declared that French people will stand by everyone who is fighting for the just cause. The President then invited delegates to a reception where he chatted and circulated among the delegates freely.
On the 23rd of June, the President of the National Assembly hosted the reception to the delegates at his official residence in Paris. Shabana Azmi addressed the delegate and praised Rajiv Gandhi for his efforts to improve the conditions of women in India. She went on to blame God and Western Countries for most of the problems in India, In this context she cited Bhopal incident and supply of other chemicals which ruin the environments. Marjit Singh addressed the conference on 22nd of June and explained draconian laws of Punjab. He also drew the attention to 1984 Delhi riots. Addressing the special meeting of delegates Balbir Singh Brar explained the general conditions of Punjab and then handed the stage to Balkar Singh. Singh explained the treatment meted to him by the Indian authorities. He then appealed to the delegates on behalf of the Sikh men. and women in Punjab jails. He requested the assembly to send a special delegation to Punjab jails to see for themselves the true conditions. At his request all delegates approved his appeal, by acclamation. Many organizers then approached him and sympathized with Sikhs.
Speaking on the occasion , Balbir Singh Brar of the Sikh Human Rights group said, “We are here to look at Human Rights situation in the world. Where as respect for human rights in the western countries is very visible, on the surface at least. The situation in the third world countries remain deplorable. The west has legally abolished slave trade, child labor, discrimination against women and handicapped and many kinds of discrimination practiced before the French Revolution. One hardly hears of any cases of torture, enforced disappearances or extra judicial killings in the west, while there heinous crimes are too prevalent in the third world countries.
“Situation of human beings in Sikh homeland is similar to what most of vou have known in Latin
American and Central American countries or as you see today in South Africa, China and Palestine. Sikh men and children are tortured and burnt alive, women are raped and tortured, people are disappearing by the dozens every day. Jails are full of prisoners of conscience, kept without trials for years.
“While India has namesake democracy, Sikh homeland in North Western part of India is under dictator rule from 1984. This dictator is known as Governor appointed by New Delhi. He governs the state through military and para military and police force.
Since June 1984, Sikhs in India have become a visible target of the Indian government. In an effort to assimilate all nations and even aboriginal people in main stream Hinduism Indian government has singled out Sikhs. Sikhs being most visible and therefore presents the biggest challenge to the process of amalgamation. In June 1984 Golden Temple was attacked by the Indian army to subdue Sikh nation. Golden Temple was attacked on the pretext of capturing forty two “terrorists” supposedly housed in the complex. Particular day picked for that act is of special significant, on this day hundreds of thousands of Sikhs visit Sikh shrines to commemorate martyrdom of fifth Guru Arjan Dev Ji. On this day when millions of Sikh men, women and children were paying homage in their religious shrines, 38 Sikh shrines were attacked by the Indian army and innocent people of all ages were murdered without warning given to them to evacuate. This hardly appears to be a terrorist suppression program. This definitely was an attempt to subdue a very brave and proud nation,
“Since then Punjab is ruled undemocratically except for a short period of elected government, Individual freedom and right to property has been severely curtailed. Thousands of innocent Sikhs are detained in jails where they are facing inhuman treatment and many are tortured and wasted. Hundreds of Sikhs disappear every year and are executed by paramilitary forces without trial. Torture and extra judicial killing is order of the day. Senior police officers proclaim proudly that they will answer bullets with bullets. The real situation is that the police hardly ever come face to face with freedom fighters but picks up innocent people and punishes them without trial. The situation is further complicated by deploying private hit squads working under the direction of police officers. These squads are allowed to operate on a free for all basis. They engage in loot, arson, and terrorize innocent people.
“The list of human rights violations in Punjab is endless and internationally reputable human Rights organizations including amnesty international have been denied access to Punjab. Indian government representative responded violently and vaguely in answer to the enforced disappearances and torture cases we registered with the United Nations commission on human rights last year.
“It is worth making a note that the governments of the western world are also looking the other side when the question of Sikhs comes up. Under trade and economical pressure western world tows Indian line, Sikhs claiming political asylum have been sent back and on arrival in India they have disappeared. Sikhs attempting to travel out of India have been denied visas, Human rights activists are not issued with passports and if they can get passports after sizable bribes the western countries do not admit them.
“Ladies and Gentlemen; I can go on and on, but at this stage I would like to introduce a physical evidence of human rights abuses in India’s Punjab. I have here with me Balkar Singh a Canadian citizen who will tell his story, Balkar Singh went to India to visit his relatives after a stay of twelve years in Canada. Balkar Singh is a humble limousine driver and was President of his cooperative limousine company.
Balkar Singh, speaking to the delegates said, “ I immigrated to Canada in 1972 and visited India once in between. In October 1987, I decided to visit my relatives in India’s Punjab district Amritsar. I was there for three weeks and visited many old friends and relatives.
Early one morning about 9 a.m. on the second of November 1987, two plain clothes men stormed in my hotel room and pointed guns at me. Assuming that these people have come to rob me I raised my hands and told them they can take whatever they want. However, they physically overpowered me and dragged out through guarded halls and stairways to a waiting police jeep. Here I was blindfolded and driven to Mal Mandi interrogation centre Amritsar, This place is also known as slaughter’s house. I later came to know there are about thirteen places in Punjab like this.
“Inside the centre I was taken to a room and ordered to removed all my clothes. Soon afterwards senior police officers and paramilitary officers started to arrive. They then ordered a team CRPF personnel in the room Immediately upon their arrival one officer ordered them to start punishing me. This team went into action where upon I was made to lie down on my stomach with the hands behind my back and beaten mercilessly with a leather strap which is called the “cittar parade.” The next method was beating on the soles of my feet. This continued until a streak of blood sprouted out from my sole, Even up to this day Iam unable to walk properly. In continuation of these tortures I was made to lie on my stomach and made to spread my hands after they were untied. On man then stood on each hand while another one kept jumping on my back.
“The next torture that was administered to me was that I was made to sit on the ground with one man pressing his knee against my back and two others gradually eagle spreading the legs virtually to an angle of 80 degrees. The pain in this torture was indeed the most. ‘The legs stretched where there is no control over them of the person being tortured and was left there magnifying the pain, and then gradually the legs were brought back by the members of the team administering the torture. This exercise was carried out four times with some intervals in between.
After some time I was made to sit on a chair and was strapped to it. Over here the team began administering electric shocks, first to my penis then in the anus, thereafter under the arm pits, temple of the head and ultimately in my nose. I need not carry on saying the pain resulting thereafter was unbearable. This team went into action where upon my hands were tied behind my back and I was hamstrung from the ceiling. There after I was tied fast at the ankles and one of the members of the team sat in between my legs and started jumping and pulling me and using me as a swing. This continued until my shoulders started rotating like pintle.
“A number of other tortures were carried out on me such as putting chilies in the anus can be narrated if more time’ is available. This torture continued for a period of fourteen hours, where after I was more dead than alive and at one time was even considered dead by the torturing team.
“After each and every process of torture, I became unconscious. I was then revived by spraying water on my face or blocking my breath by squeezing my nose and gaging my mouth. Line of questioning was the same each time. They asked me, “Why Canadian Intelligence Service has sent you. here?” What is their programme to help the Sikh militants in Punjab”. There were many more vague questions but eventually I was like a heap of flesh and was bundled up in the comer of the room. I heard one police officer suggest to the others that let us take him out with the other dead bodies and bum him along with his documents. When I heard this conversation I thanked God.
I am a God fearing man and like all of us I have always prayed for health, wealth, and happiness but for the first time I prayed for death, which would have put an end to my miseries then and there, rather than lingering them on. Even today I do not have full control over the movements of my limbs and “am suffering pain off and on.
“I do not know what changed their mind but eventually after fourteen hours of torture I was thrown in the comer with nothing on and was covered by a bundle of hay.
“For the next four or five days, I laid under that pile of hay vomiting blood and discharging fat from my private parts. I was surrounded by fly’s and insects. Sometime lizard would walk near me and come close to me and then go back, During these days I was given an occasional sip of water by the watchman.
On the fifth day a Doctor came and gave me the needle after this I was able to speak. For the next ten days I was kept in the torture centre. Through out this period I heard screams of men and women from adjoining rooms. I would also hear officers asking for other tools of torture like pliers, salt and blades. I would also hear officers ordering hot iron rods and then much louder screams and the screams fading away slowly. I feel that any common citizen of western countries will go insane in this place if detained for a few days even without any torture. Up to now I hear those cries in my dreams and many times wake up sweating. In my opinion out of ten persons brought in that centre at least four are wasted away and no information is given to anybody.
“I have lived in Canada for almost seventeen years and have ‘become accustomed to deal with civilized people. My experience in India was horrifying and I could not believe that these people from my birthplace could be so cruel and inhuman. I believe strongly that my life was spared because of the intervention of the Canadian government, Amnesty International, and United Nations Torture Department. I am grateful to friends who maintained good communication with the Canadian a Government. My special thanks to Sikh Human Rights Group for taking my case to the United Nations and other international organizations.
“Before I finish ladies and gentlemen, I would urge you all the impress upon the Indian government to stop the massacre of Sikhs in India, I would further request international human rights organizations to visit Punjab jails, People are being burned alive after torture, young girls are raped and tortured, young men are taken from jails and killed by depicting police encounters. Sikhs in jails wait as if they are on death row because police officers can walk in the jail any time and take away which ever detainee they wish and these detainees may never come back. One only reads in the newspapers the next day that so and so has been killed in police encounter. I beg of you to go to Punjab and urge the Indian Government to stop this cruelty and Human Rights Violations.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 21, 1989
