CHANDIGARH: Babbar Khalsa International gave a stern warning to Punjab government employees against participating in any talks with the Indian government or Haryana or Rajasthan on the water issue because these states or Delhi had absolutely no legal right to claim any water from Punjab rivers.

In a printed leaflet which was widely publicized the B.K.I said that any I.A.S officer or other employee or engineer joining the sellout would have to face the wrath of this militant organization and would be punished. A similar warning was also issued to politician’s irrigation experts and engineers.

It may be recalled the militants killed a chief engineer and a superintending engineer associated with the building of the S.Y.L canal about two years ago. The work came to a grinding halt since then on the canal. Commented an Akali leader then: “What we have been pleading for a long time and have been peacefully agitating was achieved by militants in no time. The Indian government does not understand the language of reason or moderation. It only understands the language of the gun.”

Other militant organizations like the Panthic Committee associated with Dr. Sohan Singh and others too feel as strongly on the water issue as the B.K.I. but the latter have issued the strongest and the most effective warming to Punjab government authorities. The B.K.I’s word is taken seriously by most operators in the corridors of the Punjab secretariat.

The B.K.L. also equally strongly insisted on the Punjab government to use Punjabi language in its official business. It went t0 the extent of asking the authorities to banish English language typewriters with immediate effect. Otherwise we would kill five LAS officers and their chopped off heads would be displayed on public thoroughfares to serve others with an example. The B.K.L also asked all banks operating in Punjab to similarly enforce Punjabi in their transactions. Punjab University the public relations department of Punjab government as well as judges of courts were also directed to transact their work in Punjabi which is the official language of Punjab and is understood by the common people.

“The Babbar Khalsa pledged to punish urbanites or voting an ant Punjab setup recently. It asked IAS officers not to get mixed up with chief minister Beant Singh and his cabinet colleagues.

Article extracted from this publication >> April 3, 1992