Amritsar, Punjab (November 6, 2013): Former Punjab director general of police KPS Gill who has been largely considered responsible for committing mass level atrocities on the civilian Sikh population of Punjab has now started commenting on the Sikh issues. Recently he reportedly told media that the Martyrs’ memorial in the memory of the martyrs of June 1984 was “just another excuse to generate funds”.
He reportedly criticized Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) and Damdami Taksal for erecting the memorial for those who had defended the sacred precincts during the attack of Indian army in June 1984.
According to KPS Gill there was an internal arrangement between the SGPC, the state government and Damdami Taksal to mop up funds. “Otherwise what was the need to set up a memorial for so called martyrs inside the Golden Temple complex where people offer charity and largesse”, he added.
It is notable that few days back it was reported by the media that KPS Gill in his biography had absolved Indian army and the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from any sort of liability for the June 1984 attack on Darbar Sahib and other Sikh Gurdwaras that had resulted in killing of thousands of innocent Sikh pilgrims and destruction of structure of Akal Takht Sahib. It is notable that the Sikh reference library, located within the precincts of the Darbar Sahib, was also burnt by the Indian army after the attack.
During KPS Gill’s tenure as DGP enforced disappearances, custodial torture, fake encounters/extra-judicial killings had become common policing practices.
It is notable that various Human rights documents such as “Death Silence: The Legacy of Human Rights Abuses in Punjab” by Human Rights Watch/Asia (formerly Asia Watch) and Physicians for Human Rights has documented the role of KPS Gill in systematic and wide-spread enforced disappearances and torture of the civilian Sikh population, besides militants.
A Sikh body Dal Khalsa has already issued a statement in reaction to the recent media statements of KPS Gill. Dal Khalsa in it’s statement has said that: “KPS Gill is Frankenstein monster not paramount officer”.