Torture
From the Annexures it will be seen how the Army tortured people— only because they were religious Sikhs; 65-year-old Swaran Singh was the Sarpanch of Jaffarwal village; young Puran Singh, k technician of Gurdaspur, a highly respected farmer young Amri Singh of Aulakh village and so many others had to undergo the most sadistic, cruel and bestial torture—we had interviewed them and felt completely satisfied about their innocence.
We shall mention only young Puran Singh’s case who was tortured so inhumanly both by the Army and the Police that it ought to be taken up by the Amnesty International.
Purun Singh became an Amritdhari in 1977 and had no interest whatsoever in politics; but little did he know that because his mother, a Panchayat member did not help a Cong-I man to be elected as Sarpanch and who eventually got elected, it could make him suffer such inhuman torture.
“Being told that I was busy with my prayer, they took my younger brother and made it clear that he would be released only after I presented myself at the police station. Next morning I went to P.S. Dhariwal from where I was taken to P.S. Gurdaspur where I was kept for 6-7 days and tortured. I was made to lie on my face. A thick log of wood was placed from above on the back of my thighs and the legs were pressed upwards. It caused a lot of muscular pain. Sometimes, I would be forced to stand for long hours with knees bent to the extreme and hands rose upwards, till I felt exhausted and became unconscious. When I came to, they would give me a little water and again continue this torture till I would drop down unconscious. The third method was to make me sit on the ground, my hands tied at my back, one person would stand behind me with his knees to my back so that I would be firmly fixed to the ground and then two other would stretch my legs apart to the very maximum. The pain at the groin was excruciating. Sometimes they would beat the soles of my feet with sticks. While torturing me they would repeatedly ask, “What is your relationship with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale?’. “What is your relationship with the Federation (AIISF)? And how many times have you crossed the border?”
‘“‘There was no record of my detention. After a week or so, I was released I was again arrested in July at night and taken to P.S. Dhariwal and mercilessly beaten with leather straps. They made me stand with hands tied and raised high while two persons would pull my legs apart, until I fell unconscious. This time also there was no charge and no record was kept. I was released after 4-5 days.
“I was again taken to P.S. Dhariwal in August and interrogated about people who had absconded, some of whom I know. I was again tortured by the same methods but with a little less intensity and was released after five days.
“My agony was not over. On September 10, 1 984, as I was coming home from duty I was taken at 1] p.m. at Kanuan (Electricity Sub- station) and this time by the Army. My eyes were blindfolded and my hands were tied behind my back. I was put inside a military vehicle and vulgar and abusive words were showered at me. They asked, “How many Hindus have you killed’’, “In how many actions have you been active?”
“I was taken to an unknown destination and there I was hit on my chest and abdomen, not allowed to sleep. I would be kicked whenever I would fall asleep. On September 16, 1984, the army handed me over to the Dhariwal police where I remained till 7th October when I was produced before the magistrate with a charge-sheet that I was shouting slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ u/s 124 A. I was given police remand upto 25th October. On 1 9th October I was shifted to Ladha Kothi in Sangrur Distt: One of the worst torture chambers. I was again produced before the Magistrate on 26th October, when the remand was extended upto 1st November.
“In ‘Ladha Kothi’ I would hear cries. The same question would be asked of us again and again and we would be told to say something. Not knowing what to say, we would be confused and then we would be tortured separately. A rod would be pressed behind one’s neck and hands tied high up and then the body would be bent. Another method applied was a log tied behind one’s back and passed between the arms and hands tied up and then the legs being stretched to the maximum till one became unconscious. One day I was hung from the ceiling, my legs dangling in the air.
“I was sent to Gurdaspur Jail on November 1st and was there upto December 7th when I was released on bail. I was acquitted in February 1985 as no evidence could be produced by the prosecution.
I was suspended from service in September 1984 when I was picked up by the Army but I have been reinstated on 24th March 1985.”
Image of the Army
One of the painful things which we have to report is that today in Punjab’s rural areas which have given their sons to the Indian Army with such pride and love—the image of that Army lies shattered. The inhuman atrocities they have committed on innocent people—shot down little boys because they had black turbans, denied drinking
water when prisoners were dying of thirst in the June heat so that they were ready to drink their own urine—the communal overtone in the brutal treatment they have administered to the Amritdharis, the way they have looted valuables and made money and of course their wanton destruction of the Golden Temple and shooting down of the common pilgrims inside the various Gurdwaras of Punjab have earned them the name of an ‘Occupation Army’ in the countryside of Punjab; and this name is going to stick.
Yet, to be fair, the Army is only carrying out orders. If they have tortured people in their various Camps, they had the green signal from the Central Government; India is the only country which did not sign the new UN convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment as punishment. The rulers who say that they believe in democracy, secularism, freedom of worship, social justice and human rights have themselves enacted black laws and have let loose unbashed State terrorism which has been unleashed specially on the Sikhs—because they are Sikhs.
The glaring discrimination shown at the Naval Centre against the Apprentice Rajinder Singh (20) son of Mohinder Singh of village Ladha Kunda at Jamnagar Navy Training Centre ought to be taken note of by authorities in the Naval Headquarters. The unceremonious way he was discharged, the closing down of the Gurdwara preventing him from taking part in the Guru Nanak’s birthday festival show how communal our entire set up in our defence forces. It is a dangerous portent and one must beware of it. (See Appendix No. 1).
During the Curfew in June according to Advocate Bhagowalia the Hindus were allowed to go out but not the Sikhs, and in the encounters it is always the Sikh youth who is killed, because either he is a smuggler or a terrorist—obviously there is no Hindu smuggler in Punjab these days nor one Hindu who believes in violence.
Police terror
In the past 2 years the enactment of new laws in quick succession: (1) The Punjab Disturbed Areas Act, the Chandigarh Disturbed Areas Act, (ii) The Armed Forces(Punjab and Chandigarh) Special Powers Act, (iii) The code of Criminal Procedure (Punjab Amendment Act), (iv) The Terrorist Affected Areas (Special Courts) Act—besides the National Security Act (2nd Amendment)—each remaining one of the South Africa’s repressive laws—was meant to bring Punjab to her knees; not merely ‘to subdue’ her but ‘to vanquish’ her a word much used by Mrs. Gandhi during Emergency while referring to the Opposition leaders who were accused of attempting to disintegrate the country as the Akali Sikhs are alleged to be doing today.
The police who in any case are not known for their adherence to law—have now become immeasurably more arbitrary, crueler because of the sanction provided by the black laws. They have devised a distinct pattern of behavior: (1) repeated arrests, (ii) repeated raids on a particular household, (ii) repeated torture of one particular person, (iv) repeated harassment of relatives, (v) terroris- ing of women and children often molestation of women, (vi) demanding of huge sums of money for agreeing to release innocent people, (vii) planting of arms to show encounters and then killing young men, (vii) active participation with Cong-I leaders, (ix) pre- venting the crops being harvested.
Mahinder Kaur (50), the widowed mother of Mukhvinder Singh (24-25) of village Barriar, P. S. Distt. Gurdaspur, said her son never returned home after the Army action—she does not know if he is dead or alive, but the police have raided her house countless times, often twice a week. The crops have not been allowed to be harvested. So acute is harassment by all the Security forces—the police, Army and the CRP—that “We had to leave our house, it remained locked between July-December 1 984”. Their economic condition is pitiable. Balkar Singh (45) of village Khujala P. S. Sri Hargovindpur, surrendered himself to the police in October—an agriculturist owning 8-9 acres of land; for 20 days he was tortured in P. S. Qadian and continuously interrogated on whether he was associated with ‘extremists’, whether he had supplied them arms etc. After 20 days he was released to be again arrested after one month and again illegally detained without any record of arrest, any charge-sheet and without production before the Court of Magistrate. For 10 days he was again tortured and interrogated and then released. Once again he was arrested on 27th April 1985. Again there was no FIR, no charge sheet but the case of rifle-snatching by two ‘extremists’ from the Home Guards near village Panchgarian P. S. Qadian was hoisted on him and another young man Kulwant Singh who was working on his farm with the thresher when he was taken away, and for 40 hours nobody knew what had happened to them. They were continuously tortured and interrogated and not allowed any food or water during this time. On May 4, a day previous to our meeting Balkar Singh they were released. His rice crop has been destroyed, he has six children and the economic hardship he is facing considerable.
In Khajera village at least in 10 families arrests have been made—6 men are still in jail but without FIR or production before the Court. “For every 1 member of a family missing or detained members of 20 other families would be harassed and troubled in every conceivable way and their crops would be destroyed”, said Sukhdev Singh, a villager. He added, “Repression is counter-productive, repression of one Amritdhari—does not reduce their number, rather fresh recruits have multiplied”’.
“‘When the attack takes place
Then the spirit is kindled.”
For the release of Amarjit Kaur, wife of Joginder Singh, a graduate and an Anrritdhari Granthi of Darbar Sahib of Village Manepur, P. S. Kalanaur,—missing since the Army Action—Amanrjit Kaur’s father has paid Rs. 1400 on one occasion. She has been taken to the P.S. four times and illegally detained for five-ten days each time. Every time the police want money. Now they are harassing Joginder Singh’s sister’s husbands—Prem Singh of village Ahawan P. S. Kalanaur; Bibi Vir Kaur, mother of Amarjit Kaur said—“this harassment must stop.” Even the fodder for the cattle is destroyed.
Family after family has to pay never less than Rs. 1000 to keep the arrest at bay. “But how many of us can pay so much money all the time?’ They said.
From one family—in Qadian village 21 people were arrested and interrogated together at Amritsar. They were being harassed for not producing Ajit Singh, son of Hardial Singh—he was arrested, tortured, then released, then again arrested, again tortured, again released—this has gone on at least 10 times since May 1984 when Ajit Singh had left home saying he was going to drive trucks. There was no news of him—when in July °84 the police came and demanded that he must be produced. ‘The story of the police was that he had crossed over to Pakistan and we know his whereabouts’ said Ajit Singh’s mother—‘‘We are a poor family having only 2 acres of land and we have 10 children, we work for big landlords as share-croppers, my husband has been so badly tortured that he cannot work.”
During our stay we read in the newspapers that Ajit Singh who was actually driving a truck in Gwalior had been arrested. One realizes the enormity of oppression that has been going on mere suspicion—and without any check.
Keep up the spirit
In spite of the prevailing sadness and tenseness the spirit of the people is being kept up through songs and poems. Even though Guru Nanak’s songs are forbidden as Tagore’s had been during the emergency. The irrepressible Surinder Singh Ragi (Patna Sahib walla), the head ragi of Darbar Sahib with a golden voice said, “‘I speak out through the songs of Guru Nanak’. He was under house arrest from June 10- June 18 and then kept inside the Golden Temple for two and half months. ““We were ordered to sing Gurbani in order to tell the world that all was well and everything was normal. On August 4 the Government warned him that he must not sing Guru Nanak’s Shabad. “I did not stop singing it only reduced the number of lines. There is a warrant against me under section 124-A-Sedition, but Government has not arrested me yet though it has banned my songs.”” The allegory which is clear to a Punjabi speaking person cannot be brought out in English translation—so we are giving both the Original as well as the English rendering of a couple of stanzas of the songs of the Ragi:
SHABAD
Kutta Raj Behaliye Phir Chakki Chatte
Sappey Dudh Pilaiye Mukh Thi Satte
Pathar Paani Rakhiye Man Hatth na Ghatte
Chooa Chandan parhare khar kheh Palatte
Teaun Mindak par Nindeaun Hatth Mool no Hatte
Aapan Haathi Aapni Jarh Aap ao Patte
MEANING
A dog, even if crowned, would per his habit still lick the flour mill.
A snake, even if fed with milk, would still spout venom.
A stone kept immersed in water would still have a dry inner portion.
A donkey, even if smeared with ‘chandan’ would still roll in dust.
Whatever happens, a backbiter would not change his/her habits
(Accordingly, a backbiter would uproot and destroy oneself).
SHABAD
Kal Kaati Raaje Kasai
Dharam Paankh kar Oodore ya
Koorh Amavas sach Chandrama
Deesay Naahi Kay Chharhaya
MEANING
The time was the sword, the king were butchers
The righteousness had taken wings and flown away
There was darkness of untruth all around and the Moon of Truth was enveloped.
There was a time when the National All India Congress had rushed a fact-finding committee headed by Jawaharlal Nehru to Nabha, where hundreds of Akalis protesting against the arbitrary taking over the Sikh State of Nabha by the British Administrator had been thrown into the jail and tortured. Later when the Sikhs sent a thousand strong jatha many of them were killed and several wounded. Gidwani, a member of the team was also arrested with the Akalis and kept inside the Nabha Jail till he was on the verge of death. There was wide appreciation of Sikhs for their spirit of sacrifice, religious fervour and passionate love for their faith. Gandhiji had sent a telegram congratulating them after they won the Battle of the Key to the Golden Temple’s Toshakhana.
Things began to change— attitude hardened after independence of India but today in 1985, 1923 looms to dim that it almost feels like other times in other climes.
Yet these are the same people, the same patriotic citizens of India who today as in those days would, without complaint, while being tortured, die reciting the name of their Gurus. These are those who were killed in Jallianwala Bagh—799 of them compared to 501 non- Sikhs.
What has been lost sight of is that to a Sikh, be he a religious one, atheist or an agnostic—a Gurdwara is not just a building of mortar and cement, of marble and stone, it stands for his living Guru who sustains him in his hours of trial. By desecrating that place of worship which could have been avoided that symbol of strength and solace has been desecrated.
What kind of Khalistan
While coming to the end of this section we should like to observe that though we never found a Sikh who was communal, that old spontaneous trust in a Hindu as a brother is gone, for his heart is broken and it will take long for the wound to heal; and the methods the ruling party has adopted will not heal it. Even today, no one we met wanted Khalistan as an independent separate State like Pakistan or Bangladesh—-not even Harbhajan Kaur Khalsa, the Militant Secretary of Istri Akali Dal in Jalandhar. She had been arrested and taken to the Special Court because at a meeting addressed by Bibi Rajinder Kaur on September 11, 1984, she had lifted her hand in approval to the question if they wished to have a place where they could breathe freely. Harbhajan Kaur was out on bail and when asked if she wanted Khalistan, she said “Khalistan is not outside India, but it is a place which Sikhs can call “Apna Ghar’ with more autonomy. We are against ‘beinsaf’; if we defend our temples, we are ‘Atankwadi’ and arrested and tortured, if Delhi people killed thousands of Sikhs—they are still free. I was declared an extremist—he or she who speaks truth and is fearless is an extremist.
“All our martyrs—Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Rajguru are then extremists. They loved our country and died for our land. Thus Khalistan is a place within India where we Sikhs can live without being humiliated with dignity without being killed.”’” When asked about Khalistan, Sri Kripal Singh quoted a small Urdu poem in answer:
“You say we should leave the garden?.
What a joke you are making!
We have shed our blood
For its each and every blossom.’’
(Chaman Ko Chhod Den?
Yeh Dillagi Bhi Khoob Rahi!
Hamara Khoon Baha Hai,
Kali Kali Ke Liye.)
