Bhatinda: Commemorating 75 World Human Rights day, the Dal Khalsa will hold a rally and march on Dec 9 against transnational killings of Sikh activists, long imprisonments, illegal detentions, inhuman torture and misuse of UAPA/NSA in Punjab since last few years.
Addressing the press conference party’s young spokesperson Paramjit Singh Mand and working committee member Gurvinder Singh Bhatinda said to give the victims’ of state repression a voice, their group with the support of like minded political groups and human rights would be organizing the rally at Bhatinda on the eve of World Human Rights Day. They said from Kashmir to Punjab to Manipur, there are rampant human rights violations. The situation on human rights front in all these states are deplorable, said they.
On the Indian government refusing to release the political prisoners, who have completed their jail terms, the Dal Khalsa has decided to write to Amnesty International highlighting the violation of rights of prisoners and political dissenters, taking place with impunity in India since the last many years.
In the current year, many illegal arrests have been made, people have been detained far away from their hometown under NSA and many families have been subjected to harassment and humiliation.
On Balwant Singh Rajoana sitting on hunger strike to press SGPC to withdraw his mercy petition, Mand asked the Union government to repeal his death sentence as capital punishment is an inhuman act. He said as per Sikh principles, they were opposed to capital punishment. Mand said most of the countries have abolished capital punishment from their statute but unfortunately India has kept it only to use against political dissidents and rebels associated with minority communities.
Dal Khalsa leader said it seek intervention of United Nations in persuading India to join the ranks of countries which have abolished the death penalty.
Today it sounds clichéd to talk of respect for human rights in Punjab. It is distressing that since the last many years and decades, no international report of any human rights body has made any dent in the willfully negligent and pro-actively tortuous ways of the central security forces and the police.
Explaining the rationale behind the rally, he said it’s an attempt to make the victims’ visible with a hope that their pain, anguish and wait for justice will be acknowledged and the violators punished.
He said the impunity to security forces is the root cause of widespread human rights violations in India.
Flanked by district presidents of party units in Malwa region, Mand pointed out that in the past decades every attempt to bring justice to victims, hold the security forces accountable for crimes, has been frustrated by the ruling elite. He alleged that like previous governments of Congress and BJP-SAD combine, the present government led by AAP is against the movement for restoration of human rights and rule of law.
We are also concerned that Amnesty International Indian Section was closed down some months back due to the indifferent attitude of the Indian establishment.
He appealed to Jathedar of Takhat Damdama Sahib Gaini Harpreet Singh and human rights Defenders especially lawyers to participate in the HR event.