I horrendous tragedy involved in Sarbjit Singh Johal’s murder in the torture chamber of the police is a recurring tale that haunts the fate of the innocent young Sikhs who are being hunted and killed by the bloodhounds let loose in the Indian State of Punjab. The sanity has fled to the forests as Ribeiro roasts his roost.
Sarbjit Singh belonged to village Johal near Tanda Urmar in Hoshiarpur district. He was arrested on September 10, 1987, while going in a rickshaw in the city of Amritsar. On learning about his arrest, his father sent telegrams on September 11 and 12 to practically every executive and judicial head but to no avail. He learnt that his 21 year old son was lying dead in a pool of blood in the civil hospital and preparations were being made to cremate his earthly remains. He rushed to the hospital and to his horror blood was still dripping from the deep wounds inflicted with sharp weapons and hot iron rods on his body. Tears stood frozen in his eyes as he looked at the body pierced with red-hot iron rods, flesh cut out from under the armpits and genitals mutilated and crushed as if with heavy stones and sticks.
With great difficulty he procured the body for the cremation which was held at village Johal. The bhog was attended by Bhai Puran Singh, Head Priest Golden Temple and Bhai Kashmir Singh, Head Priest Akal Takht. More than ten thousand persons attended the bhog even though the village was cordoned off by an extensive deployment of C.R.P.F. units.
How long will the humanity stand as a helpless spectator to this brutal destruction of innocent lives? How long will the dreams of mothers and fathers dissolve in the cold ashes of their young sons? The free world must wake up to its responsibility otherwise the youth will use its own resources to end this injustice and tyranny.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 30, 1987
