A WSN News Roundup

In various cities of the United States including the nation’s Capital, Sikhs gathered together to mark the fifth anniversary of the bloody assault by the Indian Army on the Golden Temple the holiest Sikh religious place. Thousands of innocent Sikh men women and children were killed in this attack and many more have been arbitrarily arrested and often summarily executed by Indian security forces since then. According to most of the demonstrators the assault was a watershed and it proved to all those who were still in doubt that only a sovereign Sikh state would serve the aspirations of the Sikhs to live freely and in dignity.

Washington D.C

An estimated five hundred Sikhs gathered at the Lafayette Park on June 3 in front of the White House to protest on the anniversary of the Indian army’s bloody assault on the Golden Temple.

The protest was organized by the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation MD and the Guru Nanak Foundation MD. Numerous participants from other states came to the nation’s capital. Most prominent of these were the Sikhs from New Jersey where the Si Guru Singh Sabha Glen Rock and the Garden State Sikh Association of Bridge Water had bussed in the protesters.

Sikhs had also come from New York, Philadephia, North Carolina, Michigan and Ohio. The protesters retreated their commitment and support for an independent Sikh state of Khalistan and condemned the human rights violations in India. “Amongst those who addressed the gathering were Rajwant Singh of the GGSFx. Gurmit Singh of the Council of Khalistin.and Gurmit Singh Gahunia, of the Gare. Nanak Foundation, Harcharan Singh of the Sikh Gurdwara of North Carolina, Kamikar Singh Grewal and Pritpal Singh Khalsa of Singh Sabha Glenrock NJ, Baljit Singh Rana of NY, Dr. Kamaljit Kaur Sethi of the Sikh Broadcasting Corporation Washington, and Baljit Singh a lawyer from NY. Langar was served to the participants and the bystanders. The protesters then marched from the White House to the Indian Embassy to register their denunciation of the Human Rights Violations against the Sikhs there.

NEW YORK

In New York, the World Sikh Organization in collaboration with the Gurdwaras of the tri state region held a protest rally in front of the Indian Consulate in uptown Manhattan on June 6. Participants who numbered about two hundred, shouted slogans condemning the Indian government and calling for Khalistan. Members of the Sangat and the leaders of the Sikh Cultural Society Richmond Hill, The Sn Guru Singh Sabha Bowne Street, Sikh Center Flushing, Mid-Hudson Sikh Cultural Society, Singh Sabha Glen Rock NJ, and the Sikh Women’s International Organization were amongst the main participants.

A number of women and children as well as a large number of the Sikh youth were present at the rally.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Gurcharan Singh, who is the chairman of the International Studies department of Marymount Manhattan College, said “Our fight is Not against anybody but it is for Justice and freedom. Freedom is winning in the Soviet Union, it is winning in Poland and it will win in China and India.”

The basic Sikh struggle has been for the peaceful achievement of the Sikh Commonwealth. If India had not used force just as Pakistan had not used force on Bangladesh than no shot would have been fired, no lives would have been lost, he added.

Harbhajan Singh Gill the Vice President of the World Sikh Organization also addressed the gathering.

SAN FRANCISCO

The World Sikh Organization held a protest demonstration in front of the Indian Consulate here on June 6.

Almost two hundred and fifty Sikhs from all parts of the Northem Galifornia came to express their outrage at the assault on the Golden Temple in 1984 and since then, as well as the continuing violation of human rights of the minorities especially the Sikhs in India.

Didar Singh Bains founder president of the WSO, Gumam Singh Pamma senior vice presidents of the WSO, Dr. Ajit Singh Sandhu, Bhai Jit Singh Beniwal and Bhai Gurdeep Sing Sohal of the Babbar Khalsa, Gurdial Singh of Panth Khalsa, Bhai Gurmeet Singh KhaIsa President Gurdwara Fremont, Bhai Wadhawa Singh head priest Gurdwara Sacramento, Jarnail Singh Ghuman Jagjit Singh Boparai and Amrik Singh Gill of World Sikh News, were amongst the main speakers at the rally.

CHICAGO

The local chapter of the World Sikh Organization and the Sikh sangat of Chicago participated ina rally here in front of the Indian consulate on North Michigan Avenue to mark the infamous assault on the Golden Temple.

Over a hundred demonstrators rallied. They held placards which read “Democracy in India A Hoax” Rajiv Gandhi Russian Puppet” “Stop Sikh Genocide in India” and shouted slogans against the Rajiv regime and for Khalistan.

Surinder Pal Singh Kalra the Vice President of the WSO said, “The intensity and magnitude of the atrocities against the Sikhs has increased.”

Sukhjit Singh a young Sikh read out the press note which detailed the grievances of the Sikhs and also their demands.

A delegation comprising of Surinder Pal Singh Kalra Lakhwant Singh Komal, Rajbir Singh, Harjit Singh, Gurchranjit Singh, Balwant Singh Hansara, Surjit Singh, and Harjap Singh Sangha met the consulate officials and gave a memorandum addressed to the President of India which pointed out that there was no justice for the Sikhs in India, no one had been punished for the anti Sikh mayhem in 1984 which left thousands of Sikhs dead, the policemen identified as killers of Sikh youth in fake encounters were not punished.

This left the Sikhs with no alternative but to establish a sovereign Sikh state of Khalistan the memorandum concluded.

Article extracted from this publication >>  June 9, 1989