OTTAWA: On March 30,1995, the Sikh Human Rights Group, Canada branch organized a number of meetings with Government Ministers and Canadian Parliamentarians in Ottawa: The meetings were arranged by Colleen Beamier, M.P. for Brampton. She has been working actively for an improvement in human rights in Punjab and a better understanding of the dispute between Sikhs and India among Canadians. The group invited from India, Justice Ajit Singh Bains, chairman of Punjab Human Rights Organization and Jaswant Singh Khalra, General Secretary of the Human Rights wing of the United Akali Dal. The international director of the group, Dr. Jasdev Singh Rai from U.K. also came to attend the meetings. The group met the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, the Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, the Hon. Mr. Raymond Chan, members of the Parliamentary International Affairs Committee and a number of Parliamentarians interested in the issues.

The group had a satisfactory meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs. Sheila Copps. The Deputy Minister has taken on board concerns of continuing human rights abuses in Punjab. The Deputy Prime Minister has also been made aware of the access denied to some Canadian Sikhs to goon pilgrimage to their holy shrine, Sri Harimandir Sahib.

The group was also encouraged that the Canadian Government has made enthusiastic efforts at the United Nations for full acceptance of the International Human Rights Covenants and instruments by member States. The Canadian Government, in accordance with its policy will continue with its efforts and also impress upon India to commit itself to international instruments.

Earlier the group had met with the Secretary of State at the Foreign Office with responsibility for the Asia Pacific region, the Hon. Mr. Raymond Chan. He was informed of the various human rights abuses. The group also met for an informal lunch with members of the Parliamentary International Affairs committee.

In the evening, Colleen Beaumier, M.P. had organized an open meeting for members of Parliament. In the meeting Dr. Jasdev Singh Rai, informed that India had failed to incorporate adequate safeguards for minorities in its constitution. He said that the Indian constitution and political system had an inherent trend to forge a single national identity at the expense of diversity. Dr. Rai explained that India had not ratified or endorsed a number of International Instruments and conventions at the United Nations. India has refused to accept Article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This article declares that all people have the right to self-determination. Dr. Rai maintained that if this right were ratified by India and incorporated into its constitution, then there would be no scope for violent oppression by the State or counter state insurgency or issues of self determination.

Jaswant Singh Khalra, who came specially from India, told members of Parliament, about the investigation he has carried out on cases of disappearances. Together with Jaspal Singh Dhillon, he checked lists at cremation grounds and Municipal records. They found staggering evidence that the police had cremated people as “unidentified and unclaimed” bodies. Most of the people were those who have officially ‘disappeared.’ Their families do not know about their whereabouts or whether they are dead or alive. The police avoided informing the relatives of these dead people. In Amritsar region alone there were 6017 such unidentified bodies. Throughout Punjab there are over 25,000 unidentified bodies cremated in Municipal cremation grounds. Mr. Khalra further expressed concern that Sikhs killed by the police have been cremated at Hindu cremation grounds, thus, denying last rites according to Sikh rituals.

Justice Bains spoke at the end and gave a history of the Sikh conflict. He told the meeting that even the British had not introduced such draconian laws or killed so many people in their entire two centuries of rule in India He spoke on the Terrorist and Disruptive Areas Act called TADA. Justice Bains said that this law has given scope for widespread abuses. He said that there is no rule of law in Punjab. “People are still oppressed and the current peace in Punjab is the ‘Peace of the Graveyard.’ So many people have been killed that the number of politically active people have decreased significantly. He put the number of dead at over 100,000.

Article extracted from this publication >> April 28, 1995