LUDHIANA: The Punjab Human Rights Organization has said that unrest among the Sikhs was spreading to the Malwa region of Punjab as a sequel to renewed suppression by the police.

In a report to the European parliamentary delegation, PHRO said VP Singh Govt was following in the footsteps of the Rajiv Gandhi to further complicate the Punjab problem. The report was released to the press by the PHRO general secretary D.S. Gill.

PHRO activists Rajinderpal Singh and Mohinder Singh Grewal made an in-depth study of the situation obtaining in Bathinda district to cite eight instances of repression commissioned by senior authorities to repeat Gobind Ram’s Batala in Bathinda. According to the report 18 year old Jasbir Singh was recovered from the illegal custody of Bhikhi police by a warrant officer of Punjab and Haryana High Court on Feb 16, the police framed the youth in a case soon thereafter. Gurdarshan Singh an M Phil student of Punjabi University Patiala was personally tortured by SSP Sumer Singh Saini. There was no case against the student. Saini told him that the treatment was to clean him out. Gurdarshan is not in jail anymore but is still being harassed by the police.

Karnail Singh, Swaran Singh and Gurnam Singh of Rama Mandi, displayed to newsmen and advocates of Bathinda torture marks inflicted by the police. They were arrested in “Operation Cleanup” early this month with no cases against them now. The three have permanent limps from the torture.

Dalbir Singh a journalist who faced false cases in 1984-85 is being hunted again although all the cases against him were withdrawn by the state government in 1986. Saini wants to teach Dalbir Singh a ‘lesson’ again, The standard practice, the PHRO says is to pick up youths on bail or those whose cases have been dropped so that they go back and spread a fear among the villagers.

The PHRO feels this strategy has been worked out in Delhi to teach Sikhs a lesson. The PHRO has sent reports to the Amnesty International and other human rights groups.

Article extracted from this publication >> March 9, 1990