LOS ANGELES: Sri Lanka’s government appears to be backing the terror tactics used by its security forces to suppress armed opposition, Amnesty International reported September 18.

Thousands of people have “disappeared” or been killed at the hands of security forces in recent years in the south and hundreds more have fallen victim to this violence in the latest wave of Repression in the northeast.

The worldwide human rights organization said that since 1987 the security forces have killed under many guises in uniform, in plainclothes operations attributed to “vigilantes,” and in death squads that were sometimes directly linked to members of the ruling United National Party.

People have been shot in their homes and in captivity, bodies have been openly dumped on roadsides, in fields and in rivers, and others have been burned, mutilated or moved to other areas to avoid identification. Entire communities have been attacked in retaliation for opposition violence and many people have been arbitrarily rounded up, and sometimes killed, on the basis of anonymous accusations of subversive involvement. Med clamor for armed struggle when the situation had thrown up fresh opportunities to achieve the same objectives through peaceful and constitutional means,

But what the overzealous aspirants for the ministerial posts refused to listen and learn from the warnings of “Jantak Paigham’, life was to teach them in an unbelievably short period.

Mr. Nirmal Kumar Mukbeqi talked, and talked ad nauseam, about giving a civil and humane face to the state administration which had earned notoriety as a butcher raj under RajivButaRay regime. What was the follow up action to give a humane face to the notorious police raj? Refusal to change the hated chieftain of the police raj, Mr. KPS Gill! No to the demand of Punjab Human Rights Organisation for taking action against proven culprits responsible for staging false encounters! Even turning down the demand of transferring the police officers notorious for their brutality! Why? Because it will demoralize the police forces In order {0 give a humane face’ to the ‘organised gangs of criminals in uniforms’ they will have to be condoned for all their sins so that they should not lose their butcher instinct essential to their role as protectors of ruling class interests So the result was that the police atrocities in the form of illegal detentions, inhuman tortures and false encounters continued unabated as the ‘gentle Subedar’ of Delhi continued to talk about giving ‘humane face’ to the police raj! And the militant forces among the Khalistani continued to resist and retaliate, All the designs of Jethmalanis to seduce the militants through their new ‘deals’ fell through. Even the attempts to tame such a confused person like Mann back fired. Fed up with the hollow prom of the National Front government and lated at the evil designs of DeviLal and Co. to project and build up Badal by marginalising the less trustworthy ones like him. Man shifted his posture from conciliation to confrontation with Delhi Darbar. With the disillusionment of Mann, the Khalistani found a reader with a mass appeal, who could play the much needed role of giving mass character to the Khalistani movement. With hopes on Mann belied, the Central rulers also changed their mind and strategy mainly under the influence and pressure of BJP. The talk of installing popular govt. in Punjab (i.e. to hold the Punjab assembly elections) was stopped and all the tall claims and promises conveniently forgotten, The Congress(I) was approached to help new rulers in giving a ‘humane face’ to the police raj in Punjab by extending the President’s rule for yet another 6 plus 6 months. The change of strategy demanded a change of Subedar i.e., the agent of Delhi in Punjab. Thus the story of demarcating from the Congress (I) approach to solve the Punjab problem ended with the ceremonial recall of Nirmal Mukerji and crowning of Virender Verma with the clichés and axiomatic statements people are tired of hearing for more than 8 years.

MASSLINE

Article extracted from this publication >> September 28, 1990