The spokesman weekly vol 35 no 34 april 21, 1986

Vol. 35 No. 34

21st April, 1986

Price: Re. 1 I.

POLITICAL CLIMATE IN PUNJAB NEEDS IMPROVEMENT Rajiv-Loogowal Accord Must Be Implemented Fully Unless the Rajiv-Longowal accord of Jnly 24 last year is implemented fully, peace cannot return to Punjab.

The problem is more political than that nf mere law and order. This very assessment, which we have been stressing all these months has been upheld by Governor 8 .S. Ray at a press conference in Jullundur on April 15.

of conjecture. Its first deadline of December 31, 1985 is much bebind us.

The All-India Gurdwara Bill. for which Sikhs bave been clamouring sinc, 1947 and wbich was an aochor-sheet of the accord, is nowhere on tile horizon.

We are told the states concerned have been asked to send t heir

comments.

But wby was not a deadlin~ set for these repl ies ?

The inescapable conclusion is that tbe centre is deliberately dragging its feet, Mr Rajiv Gandhi had agreed' to set up a h i gh-p~wer c )mmittee to review the ClSeS of all those (Continued on last page)

It is true that extremists never comes through and when it would accepted the accord. But they be imp iemented lies in the realm have built a propaganda barrage around it to prove that Punjabis have been cheated again by the crafty centre.

It is ' sheer naivete on New Delhi's part to contend that all clauses of the accord , except for two, have been implemented , In No~ fact, not even one claus e has b ~ en implemented fully, Of course, there bas been show of some spade., During the deb::lte on grants for the union hom垄 the forci bl e occup,tion by uS'lrwork being done . pers of "united " Akali Dal ministry in Lok Sabha this week, some members allowDamdami Taksal and All Indi~ Chandigarb, which was to be ed their sentiments to overpower their reasoning. As a :;ikh Students Federation. But so merged with Punjab on January result, some bizarre suggestions were made. far nothing has been done , It is 26 last, is still a union territory . high time th e Akali Da l 'and The Vankataramiah co mmission Mr Shantaram Nai k from that the government must give SGPC took tangible steps t~ has been asked to submit a report Goa demanded that the Punjab first priority to the job of getti ng transla te the pledge into reality .

by May 31 next on Hindi路speakassembly be dissolved and the the GoMen T~mple vacated o'f This shall also keep government ing areas of Punjab to be given state declared a union territory terrorists to "break the backs of forces away from the areDa. to Haryana in lieu of Chand ifor a period or five years so that Khali ~tanis" _ garh. Tbe merger of City Beautitbe "centre could affectively deal Some members demanded a No one endorses the activities ful and these areas is to be done with tbe terrorist problem" . of the some misguided Sikhs who ban on Akali Dal and other simultaneously within three weeks But he forgot tbat the pro- are taking undue advantage of communal parties, Bur they' after that. blem remained unsolved when the sa nc tuary provided by the should remember that our constiBut who knows what will the state was under president's holy complex and indulging in tution confers special protection happen ? . , rule for nearly two years till anti-national activities. B~t the of minorities. Moreover, free~ Since 1970 wben Mrs Indira September . 1985, Then New million-dollar question is: How doms of speech, thought, assemGandhi awarded the city to Delhi had all the po wets and to flush them out? bly and worship are guaranteed .

Punjab, there have been so many wherewithals to tackle the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi Any ban on AkaliDal would slips between the cup and tbe lip , terrorists. How can the new has ruled out another Operation therefore, be illegal and uncono;Tbe second commiSSIon, dispensation put more teeth into BluJstar, as he does not want tQ titutional. which is to go into territorial the centre's role? add to the alienation of Sikhs Moreover, to work for tbe claims and counter-claims of When Goa itself is clamour- who have not so far forgotten or good of one's cOIDmunity is n~ Punjab and Haryana, is still to ing for statehood, it is ironical forxiven the army invasion of crime, no sin, The tragedy is tbat take birth. Originally, it was due that Mr Naik should ask for June 1984. , some people are inclined to treat to submit its report before Punjab to be demoted into a Tbe Sarbat Khalsa, organised- the nati~nalism of a !"inority January 24 this year. union territory. If UT recipe at Anandpur Sahib in February community as communalism and: The Eradi commission on is so sweet and nice, why does this year by Akal Takht lathed.r in turn, b~iI. tbe communalism or share of Ravi-Beas surplus waters Mr Naik shout for its replace- Kirpal Singh, had decided to , tbe m'Jonly commuOlty as is still to begin its work In real menl in Goa? send Shahldl Jalha3 to liberate nationalism. There lies tbe mai. earnest. Wben its final report Mr K.K, Tiwari suggested the Golden Temple complex from rub.

Bizarre Suggestions About Punjab

By Some M.P.s Working For A Commuoit}'s Good

Communalism

THE

"SPCKESMAN~

WBBKLY

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CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF HINDUS A MAD ACT Prosperity Of Sikbs Linked Witb Tbat Of Hindus Driven to desperation, tbe 'ousted convener of AIl- -'Silchs and Hindus., members.

Sardar Kahlon has .. ked India Sikh Students Federation, Sardar Harin(jer Singh , Sikhs not to sell thei rproduce to Kahlon, has begun adopting postures which are divorc- . Hindus, and stop all business ed fr om realities of Jife and border on insanity. 'deals with Hindus.

He has now given a Cll! to Sikb.s r<J, an econlmic b~yc~tt of Hindus , He has asked, bis folio· wers to ran out in different direc ' tions in Punja b to make tbe boycott a success.

Th, boycott call ba~ been publi$hed by a New Delbi English daily but safar Sardar 'Kbalon has not denied ~.t .

Maybe Sardar KbaloH wants to stop his followers from desert· ing him with tbese puanoid slogans. Only last week be was dethroned from tbe "acting convenersbip" of AISSF. His : I-rnemb,r adboc committee wa, dismissed by Bbai Manjit Singh, A IS,F president, who is now in

This is easier said, than done.

It is true that Punjab econo ' Jodhpur j.il, and a five· man "presidium" installed in its ' my is dominated by Hindus but place, This presidium has since the, Sikh contribution to it also been recognised by "Acting" is no mean. Both the communiJathedar Bh,ai ties sustain each other. One comAkal Takht Gurdev Singh and "united" munity cannot survive, much less Akali Dal of Bab. Joginder . prosper, without the o:her. For Singb. B~Jt Sardar Kablo~:s com· , instance, iC a Hindu is making a mlttee stIli enJoys recogllltlon of 'motor for a fan a Sikh provide, Damdaml Takaal . In this st ,uggle ~. Jbe fan belt. Su~b examples can Cor leadershIp and war of nerves, , be multiplied by tens of tbou.' . wbo wins in tbe end ca,nnot ",-be ~, 'sands .' , said witb certainty. ,, ' ''.,' 'Punjab farmers, who are But tbe boycott can will hil almost entirely Sikhs, contribute Sikhs as mucb as Hindus. More· 60 percent of wheat and 55 perover, it would lead to soci.1 cent of rice to the national buffer cleavage wbich bas to be avoided stocks. If these sales are stopped. al all costs. Tbis is more so wben bow will tbe farmers get rid of numerous families bave botb tbeir surplus stocks, much less

21st April, 1986 ' make a living, 'pay their loans and secure mocey for their inpnts and macbinery ? They cannot export these food grains to other coIinfries witbout licence from the centre.

In retaliat ion , Hindus can stop sale' of coal;' oil arid so many other commodities. Can the Sikbsdo withoutihese tbings ? . Sikbs 'o utside' Punjab are much more prosperous thaD their brethrel!,. in tqe sJal,~' They would be reluctant to move into Punjab for \lleasure of it and start life de novo. Even if all of tbem are persuaded to migrate, how and wher,e will they be ' accommodat" ed ?

Even a few thousand fa miJies wbo migrated after · Novembe; 1984riott,.had hard times adjusting themsel~es fa new life. They were also a dr,;n on the limited resources of tbe community.

Mass exodus would be a calamity. It will not remove the "sbackles -of Brabmin ' Bania rule". as Sardar Kah10n dreams but will push Sikbs into a life of want and misery.

Sardar Harinder Singb K.blon, alleged assassin of Mrs Indira convener, A ISSF, and Sardar Gandbi, started moving towards Sarbjit Singb of A ISSF, Ropar tb e Akali Dal conference. The met the Akali leaders iucluding shells affected the police force Sardar Surjan Singb Thekedar, because of tbe flow of the wind A committee of tbe Punjab Citizens for Democracy (PCFD) Sardar Gurd, v Singb, Sardar resulting in confusion. Later the which enquired into the police tiring on militants at , Anandpur Piara Singh Padena and Sardar police opened fire twice,' first Sabib on March 26 has found that the incident could have been Horbans Singh Gbuman at tbe from tbe SIde of tbe Akali Con2.voided b,d the Chief Minister, Sardar Surjit Singh B,rnal a, not residence of Iatbedar H "c!).ran ference and later from all direcgone tbere on that day to address an Akali Dal conference on the Singb Mahalon.- of the Takbt tions except the Takht Sri Kes. eve of tbe "Hola Moballa" festival.

Sri Kesgarh Sabib, on tbe garh Sabib . The police did .n ot even ing of March 25. The AISSF resort to a lathi·charge.

The Differing witb tbe government day earlier while he was on way leaders asked the Akali leaders firing which continued for 45 version of seven persons dead to Anandpur Sabib. to convey it to tbe chief minister minutes was not justified by any and 24 injured in the firing, tbe The committee met represen· that in case Bbai Mobkam Singh cannon of law. "All these killings committee feels tbat more tban tatives of tbe government, tbe was not released by 10 a.m. on Were brutal murder of peop Ie by 15 \lerson. bad been kill<d and Taksal·AISSF combin e and m?ny Marcb 26. tbe 'sangat' would not tbe polIce for wblcb tbe state is 50 wounded in tbe firing. others including managers of tbe a!low Sardar Barnala to speak at responsible".

Mr Iu,tice A.S . Blins, a Takbt Sri Kesgarh Sabib, Sardar the Akali Dal conference.

The committee was of Ibe retired Judge of the Punjab and Ajaib Singh. Nibang Baoa Pritam Tbe AkaJi leaders , tbe com· Haryan. HIgh Court and Ch,ir- Singh of Budha Dal, Bibi Avinasb mittee claim~d. did con vey tbe view tbat the number of those m;n of tbe PCFD, rekased the Kaur. vice'president, Istri Akali message to the ch ief minister and killed in tbe firing was more than what tbe autborities claimed to report of the: committee at a news Dal and several eye-witnesses. the latter asked tb, AIS~F conference in Cbandigarb last Quoting eye-witnesse" the leaders tb rou gb Jathedar Mabalon be. Seven persons who were week. The enquiry committee committee's re port said tbe to meet bim at Chandigarb on included i~ tbe list of injured by appointed by him consisted of protestors were unarmed. How- tbe morning of March 26. Two the autbontles IVere described as Mr ~ 11'lu ka f Al i, Vice- Chairman, ever. about 15 persons carried AISSF nominees we nt to Chandi· ·unidentified and presumably had PCFD, Mr D,S. Gill, Convener, kirpans but were peaceful and garh but were sont hack on tbe dIed. The Taksal'AISSF activists PCFD coordioation committee, non-violent. "The police version prete,t tbat Sardar Barnala was were also sai d to ba ve carried away some .dead persons .

Lt. Col. Harblll' Singh Kahlon is a sbeet of concoction and is far reaching Anandpur Sahib at 10 Insisting tbat tbe police from reality. As a mltter of ract, a.m. Tbe AIS~F represontatives and Sardar Gurdev Singb.

The. committee examined the the police wanted to justify the were told by the time the cbief should not b lve arrested Bbai claims of the authorities tbat tbe brutal killings by blaming tbe minister reached there tbat any Mohkaen Singh, the committee attempt to disrupt the conference said it was inclined to believe police had to swing into action youth", the committee Celt.

The committee found that the t o save tbe life of tbe Cbief would be resisted by tbe govern· thac tbe state government had Minister, bis ministerial collea' allegation of the police about the ment. According to Sardar Sarbjit taken Ibe action at the Hola gues and Akali leaders present on attempt of militants on tbe life Singh, the federation was told Mahalia "to please the Centre and to prove its firmness dealing tbe stage of tbe " art y's conference of the chief minister was false. that the government had with the militants" . , "The bona fides of tbe authorifrom violent demonstrators of the "instructions from the Centre to ties are suspect in so Car as they Justice Bains told neWimen Damdami Taksal and tbe AIIsnub tbe youtb at Hola firing Mahalia". that the PCFD would probe tbe India Sikh Student. Federation started indiscriminate (AISSF). It also went into the under tbe pretext of protecting Tbe committee alleged tbat death of Sardar Navdeep Singh, cbarge, of tbe Taksal and the tb. chief minister . The tiring was tbe p )Iice started throwing tear· an AISSF leader of Amritsar AISSF that the police fired in· not only excessive but unjustified gas sbells on tbe giuhering at the in a police encounter. It would discriminately at tbeir peace· considCTing all the circumstances Taksal·AISSF conference venue, also probe the Batala incidents. ful procession proceeding to of the happenin,s". a little away from wbere tbe He alleged that going by the tbe Akali Dal congregation Giving sequence of the event,; Akali meet was being beld, as the statemenl of Punjab DGP I .F. to voke their demands includ' the committee, depending on the "Sikh masses" led. by Sardar Rebeiro on the billist of terrorthe release of evidence of manager of Takht Kablon, Sardar Sarbjit Singh, ists, the 'tate itself had become ing tbat for Bhai Mohkam Singh a spokes- Sri Kesgarh Sahib, .aid that after Mrs Bimal Kbalsa and fatber and a terrorist . This proved that there man of tbe Tak.al, arrelted a arrest of Bbai Mohhm Singh, motber of Satwant Singh, an was no rule of la,9\'.

Anandpur Sahib firing toll bigb'er says PCFD report

THB "SPOKESMAN" WEBK.L Y ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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A THOUGHT FROM GURBANI

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2 i SlA pril. 1986

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If I but please the Lord, it would be my pilgrimaie bath. _________ _ _ ~ _ _ 1II -Garu Nanak Dev

The Khalsa Cult and its Symbol-cum-Discipline By : Lt. Col. Gutebarao Singb (Retd)

"01. 3S No. 34

Price: Re.l{-

Spolit.sman ~ttklg VERY POOR SHOW abe

'.

The so-called Sarbat Khalsa, organised within the Golden Temple complex on Baisakhi day was, by all standJ.rds, a very poor show. Reasons were varied. Its convener, Bhai Gurdev Singb, who calls himself as "acting" Jathedar of Akal Takht, is considered by a vast majority of devoted Sikhs as an usurper of the exalted seat. Also the three organisations behind the convention -Baba Joginder Singh's "united" Akal Dal, Damdami Taksal and All-India Sikh Students Federation-are riven by internal warfare, apart from sniping, with glee, at one another. Each considers itself to be supreme, subordinate to none other. AISSF is cleft into twoManjit Singh group and Harinder Singh Kahlon bandeach having different blckings; It is puerile to contend tbat the police prevented people from reaching the holy complex. It was a silent protest against the objects and methods of the militants; The resolutions passed betray brazen tempers, immaturity and lack of sagacity. Vituperative language is no substitute for sane argliment' which alone can carry conviction with the masses. As expected, Barnala ministry came in for heavy abuse; its members were denounced as "traitors to the Panth". Not only ministers but also all Akali MLAs were threatened with social boycott and gherao in order to force them to resign, as they had "failed to fulfill elections promises." But what right have those, who made a clarion call to boycott the assembly elections, to talk of such promises. No categorical commitment to Khalistan was made but the Sikh masses were a~ked to "break the Brahmin-Bania shackles of slavery and strive for the concept of Rlj Karega Kbalsa". But no one botbered to clarify how this goal is to be achieved and that will b~ to eventual sbape of the political entity.

Demand for full implementation of Anandpur Sahib Resolution was reiterated, but little did they realise that its portion about centre-state relations has already been referred to tbe Sarkaria commission. When this commission invited suggestions and clarifications, no one from the above three organisations appeared before it or submitted memoranda. Appeal to the United Nations Secretary-General to constitute a special court to try all those responsible for "conspiring to annihilate the Sikh community and destroy its culture, religion, history and symbols" is likely to be ignored, as the world body cannot interfere in the internal affairs of a country .

Most significant is the convention's stance on SGPC. Its members have been asked to resign since "their term has expired." Sikhs have been told [0 forward to the "Panthic Committee" a panel of names from various SGPC constituencies so that a new SGPC can be formed. This supreme religious body is elected by Sikh voters in three states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and union territory of Cbandigarh.

How can a few hand-picked persons equal the colIective will of the community? Is this not an indirect move to capture the funds and platforms of gurdwaras by the backdoor?

All the baptised Sikhs are required to keep the hair of their head and the beard unshorn.

Uncut hair are a mark of hoi in.ss: all the prophets, founders of great religions. rlsMs, mllnis, etc. have worn long hair. The Guru wanted man to stay as nature had produced him-. cOlLplete man ; that is " .. bat sura! dastar sira,"' meaning per~ feet appearance with a tarban 011. This is nature's lIrinciple that hair arc grown where it was considered necessary-naturally females do not have beards.

IINature does not err u and the keeping of long hair "is an indication of living in harmony with the will of God." Unlike Hinduism where the sacred thread (janeu) i. permitted to be worn by only a selected classes, women are not included in it, in Sikhism anyone adopting the creed is o bliged to keep unshorn hair. irrespective of the caste he may have belonged earlier, and sex.

unshorn hair feels ashamed or begging. For tbis reasoD, whenduring the 1947 holocaust they were uprooted from their ances-· tr.! lands in Pakistan and driven to India no one f<ll so low as to beg for his living. Similarly. a Sikh chewing a pan or smoking. looks ugly.

Above all, it is the Guru', holy ord<r to keep tbe hail" unshorn and cover these with a turban. This gives a Sikh d.stinc· tiveness and an identity that cannot be concealed anywbere, in aDY gathering howsoever large it may be. "This separate identity inculcates courage and firmness ...

Fosters a sense of loyalty and steadfastness." It is the first token of the Sikh faith, a pledge of dedication to the Guru. It is an insignia, a standard. a flag of the fraternity of the Khalsa, and is the most important of all the kakkas. Dhai Nand Lal, a ireat scholar at the darbar of Guru Gobind Singh, writes tbat without five kakkas no Sikb is a Sikh; and without hair unshorn tbe other four put together are of little significmce.

The bearded Sikh with a. turban. in the western mind ba~ become the prototype of an Indian. writes Rober Trumbell, "probably becauso Sikbs have travelled almost everywhere and are recognisable at once as Com ing from India. Actmlly. tbey are' a tiny minority; there are at least half again as many Chri,tians in Indian a. there are Sikhs, but tbe latter, by tbeir ability and industry. have made themselves prominent and powerful in Indian life.

Besides, their appearance malce& them conspicuous, in India no less than abroad." Because of their conspicum.lDess~ "there is a general tenden"y to multiply the acts, good or bad, of a Sikh hy all the members of the community. If a few non-Sikh. are notorious for their bad deeds they are not called Hindu 01' Christian evil-doers, but evil act~ of, say 'X' Singh or 'Y' Singh are announced as the acts of Sikhs and not as those of 'X' or 'Y. This is also true of go()d acts."

In various religions other than Sikhism, their follow:r. shave off as a sign of renunciation of the worldly life, e.g. among Hindus and Roman Oalholics. In Sikhism, on the contrary, grahisl (married life) is considered sublime; renunciation is not preached.

Thus, even from this angle keeping of long hair by Sikhs i, oblig,tory. Sh.ving off one's head jg also considered omionus, as, in certain religions. it is resar· ted to by widows . Among the Afghans, in olden days, shaving off one's beard was considered worst than death. The Sikhs, also. perfer death to shave off their hair. The ca,e of Bhai Taro Singh is one such example. To "shave off his hair," writes Kapur Singh, "is to simulate the sterililY of an aged, bald, decayed man, who is no lon~er a link in the chain of the geoerative activity, which is the world."

And to catch any person by his hair is considered dishonourable.

Manu says: "Even should a man be in wrath, let h.im never seize another by the hair When a brahmin commits an offenco for which the members of other castes are liable to death, let his These days many Sikhs have hair be shaved off as sufficient started discarding their hair on punishment. " Prof. Puran Singh considers very flimsy grounds such as IOcumthat "The lightning spark is berane<, waste of time and so on. concealed in the ....001 of the The most common excuse put wandering cloud in the sky and forw. rd is tb. t a doctor has the life spark of tbe Guru i. recommended it, which;s untrue hidden io this sheaf of hair." To in most of the cases. Such people the American Sikhs, "The hair is are not true to their faith, are' a conductor for energy and the not loyal to their Guru . Gunk . brain is a store-house of energy; Gobind Sing bas said: He alone is my Sikh wbo ·lives: by keeping the hair up and coveraccording to the rules gf the ing the head, .this energy is kept Khalsa; contained." Socially, a Sikh with

4

T i' E "S!'OKFSMAN" WBBKLY He is my owrlDrd and I am his disciple, A"d as regards the modem women) Puran SiDgh says that she has "lost most of ber soul by shingling her hair and putting an odoro:.ls reed in her rose-budlike lips .

The hair i3 a sign of selfres Dect and matu.ritv. lu this c0r:i<ection here is anecdote narratod by ("apt. Bhag Singh: During the '\v .:>rl d 'h~ar Two, on the North Afric. front, in order to prevent soldiers from going to red-l ight ~reas. sp :o cial official broth:lo were opened in Cairo (Egypt). Here prophylactic treatment was provided for to protect the soldier from tbe V.D. On seeing a long queue of Indian soldiers at one ,uch brothel, the Captain's friend Bertie Gordon, a Jews, asked him-

an

"Mr. Singb , I doo' t s<e any Sikh soldier here. Do the Sikhs have a separate brothel1 "No 1" replied <::apt. Bhag Singh. "A Sikh is conspicuous because of his beard and turban and 80 (does not like to be seen at such a place."

A fter a pause his friend said: "i understand wby your prophet ordained the wearing of the long hair."

When someone argued that Sikh ism would flourish if keeping long hair was made optional, Prof. Puran Singh said "how foolish it would be to preach a leligion and to demand whole herds on compromised principles I" He further said that "Takhg away the Sikh's hair is to cut him off from his intensely reactive inspiralioD which has been so far a source of strength to the Hindu also. Tbe disappearance of the Sikh as such meaDS the loss of a great national as'et of power and inspiration for Hindu himself." " Therefore", writ~s Gurrn:lkh Nihal Singh, " tb. ::;-e u0es ililt appea r to be any doubt that self·realisatioo is po!)sible witllOut keeping long hair and rcc·, i ving the Si kh baptism. But what may not be aboye doubt is the continuance of Sikh culture and tradition of sacrifice and service and undaunted courage, bravery and qualities of leadership ",sociated with the great name of the Khalsa, without the baptism of the sword and observing the forms, symbols and discipline of an Amrildharl Sikh.

My personal view is that, in this age of communal bigotry and rivalry, particularly, forms and symbols are necessary for all that is va luable in Sikh history, tradition and culture.

Kanga (comb) This has relalionship with bair and is used for keeping the hair neat and clean. The combing of

hair is required to be done tw;ce daily. cEvery Sikh, wbether man or woman, is required to keep a separate comb of his/her own. It should be tugged in one's hoir so that it is readily available wheu needed. pygienically too it is a good practice, it ore vents head or hair diseases from spreading to otb ers.

The practice of regularly combing of hair inculcates in an individual the quality of devotion, steadfa9lness and persevesence.

The Lacedaemonians (Spartans) always "adorned the ir hair before risking their lives", in the fashion of their forefathers.

When the Persians under Xerxes attacked Greece and arrived at Hot Gates, preparing 10 atrack, the Spartans were busy combing tbeir long hair. The Great King, on learning about . it laugbed at this . He asked for an explanation from the deposed Lacedaemopian The latter king Demaratus. answered " with due deference but with Spartan stubborness, that 'these men are coroe to flight with uS for the passage, and for tbat they are preparing".

Kara (steel bangle) The steel bangle is worn on the right wrist. It is a symbol of restraint and reminds the wearer that the hand is to be used in righteousness . To Teja Singh, it isua sign of sternness and constraint". Prof. Puran Singh writes that "when toss my arm up in the air and the iron ring shines, I am reminded of His wrist that wore it-one exactly like this. In this arm, by some stray gleam of the iron ring on my wrist, His?" And to Duncan Greenless, a Kara is an uindication of courage on a 'steel fist' ,. .

Kara, like the bride'. ivory bangles (choora), is a sign of solwg (married life), as in Sikhism, the relationship between God and tbe man is considered to be like the one between a husband and wife. Thus one wedded to the Almigbty never becomes widow - is always a

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sohagan.

It also signifies a complete, unbroken circle symbolising, according to Mrs. Wylam, "the unbroken continuity of existence". And because of its being without a beginning or an end, writea Kapur Singh, a Sikh must "aim to be, with whole creator, as the objective of his compassion and activities". It is a symbol of determination, strict discipline and a constant reminder of a Sikb's dedication to the woes taken at the time of taking pahul. Then, iron is a common taboo against evil spirits; it is suppostd to protect bumans against all spells the world over.

Guru Gobind Singh has applied the ~pithet of pure steel to God. He says that he had tbe

21st April, 1986

protection of the all steol. Tbese Prof. Puran Singh says tbat days karas made of gold have "Kirpan is a gift from the Guru". come into vogue-it is a fashion; He further .ads tbat "It i. mind whereas a steel kara is Guru's made intense by the love of the injunction.

Guru The Sikh is to have a swordlike mind". He further emphaKacbba (underwear) siEOs lhat it is "the symbol orthe A p,ir of shorts, an active myriad personality of the Guru's dress and also to cover the Sikh, that knows no defeat, no nudity.

Symbolically, writes disappointment, the personality N . Ray, it stands "in bet~' een tbat is unconquerable in its unbr idled sexual indulgence on hope, in its spiritual the one hand and continence on radiance" . ODe who wears Guru's the other". sword becomes a spontaneoos man fuily grown in His Spirit".

Kirpan OI

Guru Gobind Singh included " In the atomic age"J writes kirpan (sword) as the fiftb kakka K.V, Adv.ni, "Guru Gobind and made it obligatory for every Singh ji's message of taking baptised Sikb to be armed with recourse to sword to mitigate it. This weapon is a symbol of human misery. is not out of tune. dignity, of freedom, of "self- The brute in man is getting still respect embodied in the right \'\Iorse. There js only recipe ... wise (for all Sikhs) to bear arms". It and discreet use of sword ... as also sym bolises bravery, devotion sword is the protector of saints, and self· sacrifice Guru Gobind scour age of the wicked . . .. as Singh "withdrew his followers shown in the Bachittar Notak", frOiD that undiv ided attention ' ~ These" writes Prof. Puran which their fathers had given to the plough, the loom and the Singh. "are not the symbols of pen, and be urged tbem to regard a reJigi on , nOE essential rites of tbe sword as their. principal stay any religious disciplin e. Theyare in world". Guru Gobi nd Singb the signs of our being 'wedded says: " 0 ye m;sguided people the wo:nen'. They are tbe wedding true goddess is tbis. This can gifts frorn tbe Bridegroom. He work ",;rocles. This will end your gave all tbese to us, and they are mi.eries. This will give you sacred. Superstitions 1 Yes. But power and liberty in your ' land which love hatb not and where at peace in your - homes. Come, all hath love not ' its own superstherefore, and be its de.votee". titions 7" He addressed the sIVJrd as This uniform not only freed under : the Si khs c-ompletely from HinduThou art the subduer of king- iim, but also infused a new life doms, tbe destroyer of the in them with exemplary character and undying spirit for the service armies of tbe wicked, In the baale field thou ador- of the community and country.

Since a Sikh is under the "lovenest the brave.

Thy arm is infrangible, Thy shackles" of his Guru he cannot misuse his weapon , his body or brighteness refulgent, Thy radiance and splendour mind. Tbe Kbalsa, as says Guru Gobind Singh, is God's own dazzle like the sun.

Thou bestowest happiness on contingent, i. the copy of Him who resides in it and so long as the good; Thou terrifiest the evil, thou it remains independent, free from the Brahminical influeoce, the scatterest sinners.

Guru's everything belongs to tbe I seek thy protection.

Hali ; l,a il to the creator of the Khalsa . But when he follows the BrahiDinical way of life Kbalsa worid, The saviour of Creation, my loses tbe trust of his Guru. cberisher.

Religion is a personal affair Hai: to thee, 0 sword! so far as its selection is concernA weapOD of bOih offence and ed. But once one has become a defence, a kirpan is mainly for member of a faith, his /her actions self-defence fer destroying evil refle ct not only on the indiVidual and tbe oppressor, and to bring but ou the whole community, e.g. solace to tbc oppressed. It is not a Sikh has don e this. Under a a charm to be tied at the turban- country's law, a law·breaker is ends or fixed on a kan gao It is a liable to punishment. Similarly, weapon of "open combat govern- societies take action against any ed by ethical principles whereas of their members who violates • dagger is associated with secret soci ety~s rules.

So, a person attack, or sudden defence oppos- disregarding commands of his / ed to it' . Thus, the Sikh way of her religion /is equally dese rving life is governed by etbic,. The of punishment. Regimentation i8 kirpan has never been used for essential to impose and maintain the spread of Sikhism; Dot even discipline in a society. For examwhen tbe Khalsa was all powerful ple, traffic control is imposed in in the Puujab. Even to-day, to ord" to bring orderliness and honour a person he is presented avoid accidents ; it in no way is with a sword. a ceremony with the infringement of one' s indepenuniversal recognition. And in the dence or liberty . Therefore, one Sikh ",das (prayers) Bhagauti, i.e. must adbers to the tenets of one's faith. sword is mentioned fi"t of all.

THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

. ilst April, 1986

'In Punjab, national stakes are very high' 'The c~uses of tbe trouble are botb poUtical and economic' Tbe is tbe text of tbe speech delivered by Sardar Surjit Singb Barnala, cbief minister of Punjab, at the meeting of the National Integration Council beld in New I)elbi recently; I intend to speak straight from the heart. To an average Punjabi, the unity and integrity of India is not the subject of empty ritual or hollow rehetoric.

Nor is communal amity a mere slogan to be paid lip service to.

These are Ihe existential issues forcing bold choices and demanding high acts of statesmanship on the part of those on wbom tbe resp6nsibility to lead and decide had devolved. For us, national unity is a creed.. a commitment and a source of pride. It derives from our "perience and that, perhaps, is why soine of us react with some annoyance at being asked constantly 10 reaffirm our ~ommilment to nationalism.

The period between the signing of the memorandum of settlement and its implementation is a very sensitive pbase, for suspic· ions and mistrust still lurk. At times, these bave taken violelit forms. A section of tbe press and some leaders of public opinion often, either mistakenly or otherwise, asserl that tbe implementation of Ibe memorandum bas nothing to do with peace in Punjab, since tbose ' committilig violence in the .tate do not even recognis~ the accord. This is a surprisinaly naive argument. The accord was signed not (to please or appease the terrorists but to isolate them and any setback to the accord is ba.ically a setback

Some leaders of public opinion often assert that the implementation of the memorandum has nothing to do with peace in Punjab, since those committing violence in the state do not even recognise the accord. The accord was signed not to please or appease terrorists, but to isolate them and any setback to the accord is basically a setback to this process, But there are general issues on whicb, I think, we need to create a ne w national awareness.

One of tbese is our intolerance of ideas and opinions different from tbose we cberisb.

Someti mes, national opinion is so worked up by illinfromed reports that ev.ry difference of opinion is regarded as seditious and religious separateness is confused witb separatism.. In tbe end, "unity" gets confused with totally lifeless and undemocratic uniformity. As Dr S. Radhakrisbnan used to say, "What India needs is harmony, not uniformity." We bave opted for a vibrant and open sociopolitical set-up, in line with the glorious traditions of our country. Sometimes, we are less than fair to our own convictions about our democratic option.

In Punjah. the past four or five years have admittedly been critical. We always held that the problem there is essentially not one of law and order, although its manifestations certainly acquire a law and order dimen· sion . The nucleus of the crisis is political. The Prime Minister, Shri Rajiv Gandhi, fully appreciated our perception of the problem and, in the Punjab accord, took a major politi"".) initiative to solve tbe tangle in truly democratic manner. '

a

to. this process . If the accord IS not Iinked·with peace, what is it linked with?

My government is not trealing violence in Punjab as a · superficial phenomenon and it cannot have superficial remedies. A comprehensive political and administrative strategy has been

evolved by us to end the very roots of this violence. While tbe state governinent is determined to deal firmly with those trying to talce law into their own hand., we need tbe support of the entire country in improving the political climilte of tbe ·state. In Punjab, We are fighting the battle for the wbole coilntry. The nation hao a vested iilterest in a strong, prosperous and peaceful Punjab. His in this light that our plea for a bold political initiative to end the agony of previous years must be understood .

Unfortunately, an essentially Cent~-state issue in Punjab sometImes assumes a communal colour. What is worse, some socalled community ieaders suddenly appear ou lhe seene to justify theun .. ise a~t3 of meinbet'll of their own ¢6l1lli1uBiries.

Collilililbali.m is iii fact . jilst perverse religion, and we ha'Ve witnessed various forms of i~ in the country. There can indeed 'be no justification for any communalisin. To describe ihe cOmmunlism of members 'of one's own community as a' "backlash" is indeed to evad'c the issue by indulging iii a petverse logic.

There cali b. lio ,Uib'is for communal behaviour. Uiilt~l. enligbtened people stand tip to condemn the communnlism of members of their own sects, We will not get· very far in solving the issue. Iii Punjab, tbe .trongest indictment of mindless violence has come from my , own party.

UnfortuuatelY, leaders 01 public opinion from other communities have never been specific in condemning the activities of some

other communal organisations_ This creates problems for us .

It pains me to say that our decision to release innocent youtbs nas been grossly misunderstood. We bave evidence t6 show that, ex-cept on. or two, nOne of those released by us took part in violent acts after tbeir release. On the contrary, some of those released themselves fe'll victim to violence. But national opi~iou is so misinformed by a sectIOn of the press that everyone believes tb.t people roleal<ed by US bave gone on a wailton kiUing 'pree .

On·the otber hand, if we took so me steps to rehabilitate the victims of tbe events of tbepast few years, we also ..ent out ot our way to help the vicUins of terrori.t violeDce. We bave already spent over Rs 5 croies in tbe direction and have annoWlCed another .package of relief for them. The victims 'of terrorist crime are beio,g e"tended the .aine facilities a. are being. given to the vicHms of anti-Sikh riots of November, 1984.

Ih Punjab, nation~1 stakes Me very high . The causes of troub1~ ate both political and economic.

A new awakening on Punjab , is called for. The country needs· lEt understand Punjab much htiler than it does now. Punjab's ilitert- . sts are identical with those of th., country. So is our de.tiny. A common destiny beckons u. to rise above our narrow political consideration •. I have no doubt that every Indian will bearken to this de.liny. A. ever, WI in Puniab wiH be the first to do so.

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6

1 HE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

21st April, 1986

The, nucleus oof Punjab crisis is political New awakening on Punjab is called for By : Sardar G.S. Chadha, Advocate Revival of terrorism sometime after the popular government of Sardar Barnala ca me into being has posed . a grave danger for the state and the country. There was a fervent hope tbat extremism will end after the installatiou of a popular ministry, But what we find i, that the situation has been deteriorating ,day by day, inspite of the Centre's fuli support and intensification of para-military forces in the state. There is an Urdu couplet Marz badta gia jun jun dwa kie (tbe disea.e continued aggravatmg with every addition in the treatment). Since a few days it has taken on horrendous and unprecedented dimensions, In order to undersland the situation and find out the truth w'e need to analytically examine the 'broad but tragic events of the last aboilt four years. Then only we can ilnderstand and grasp the root· cause of the revivai of tbe terrorism. The Akali Morcba was launched somewbere in August, 1982 and till the end of 1~83 it was quite peaceful. Many a time political leaders, wbicb count, had approached for geuin, the Punjab tsngle resolved and as per the st~tement. of Sa~dar Harkisban Smgh Sur)eet dectstons were taken as many as three times, but each time unfortunately the late Prime Minister Mrs, Gandhi had backed out. Ultimately she bad decided to take resort to Oper~lion Blues,tar and tbe Army bad stormed the Golden Temp!e, besides other about 38 'historical gurudwaras in Punjab.

0:0 seversl occasions prior to

this tragi c event Sant Longowal had natf"d in 'categorical term ~I Let us make it clear once and

for all that the Sikhs have no designs to g~t away from India in any manner. What tbey simply want is that they should be allowed to live witbin India as Sikbs, free froro all direct and indirect interference and tampering with their religious way of life" · Tbe Sant had openly stated tbat he bad never demanded secession.

In a pampblet sent to members of Parliament Sant Longowal had etplained the Akali stand and stated "India is multilir.gual, multi-religious and multinational land. In such a land a microscopic minority like the Sikhs , has genuine forebodings, tbat like Buddhism and Jainism earlier, they may also lose their identity in the vast ocean of the over·whelming majority of Hindus". He had also cautioned the Centre that if the matter

regarding their cbarter of demand, lVas postponed iudefinitely it ma y ,bift into the bands of hardliners, i.e" Bbindranwala's group. Since no decision was taken by tbe Centre, this hardliner Sant started tbe game of extremism so as to put press' nrc on tbe government, t hough in his bit· list many Sikhs, being responsible for bumiliating and torturing the Sanfs men, were also included, , During the Bluestar Operation besides tbe Sant and bis colleagues thousimds of innocent perso]!s, wbo bad assemble,d there to celebrate tbe auspicious occasion 9f Gurpurh, were gun]!ed down ,or ;labbed. Some of tbem ' are still in Jodbpur Sail and for their honourable release there is an acute resentment among the Sikh youths. Tbey are angry with tbe Barnala ' Government, since it could ' not successfully prevail upon the Centre to rel ease tbose detenus. It will not be out of place to mention ' here tbat Centre's weak policy of not implementing tbe Punjab Accord has emboldened the Sikh youths, wbo ,are categorized as extremists, and terribly weakened the position of Sardar BarDala. , Because of the tragic events both in the pre-Bluestar and postBluestar periods tbat tbe Sikbs felt alienated and their psycbe was badly wounded. As eminent politician and M.P.(BJP) Shri laswant Singh bad stated, "It is a part of tbe very central core of tbe Sikh being. It is not jo,\ an edifice or a collection of buildings. Every stone there is tbe brick',vork of tbe Sikb history itself. Tbe rest of u.

Ind ians are unable to view it in that light and see it only _as having become a seat of the terrorist botb saddens and frightens me, Why blame the Sikhs alone as an Indian I should bave been equally revolted by its earlier defilement; by political machinations of the most objectionable kind of self-interest, predominating over tbe interest of our peop!,e as a wbole. That we still do not do so is our collective failure, not tbat of the Sikhs alone" ... Surely tbere is sometbing gravely wrong with the Hindus if they do not feel shocked and bewildered with wbat ba~ bappened in tbe Golden Temple. I do very strongly feel tbat this is ODe occasion wbich perhaps best examplifies the phrase 'Physician heel thyself'.

Let us stop and reffect for II moment on tbis businesl of beal-

ing toucb. How con those very hands that are blooded now undertake such a task? (Indian Express dated 3-7-84).

Post Bluestar Period

The first crack-down was tbe combing operation launcbed by tbe armed forces, wberein tbey had tortured, hilmiliated and eliminated tbe Sikh youtb indi,criminately. Being afraid of bigbbanded atrocities of the arined (orces in Punjab villages most of the youth who could survive, bad escaped across tbe border, wb'ere as alleged tbey had left with no option but allow themselves to be subdued by tbe authorities of that country. By now it has a'!so come In the press that such migrated youth was trained in Pakistan sent back to India from time to time to create trouble and destabilize the administration of Punjab state.

Post-Assassination Period Mrs Gandhi was assassi)lated unfortunately by two of ber own body' guards who bappened to be Sikhs, on 31st October, 1984.

That was the time of calamity for the wbole Sikh community.

Tbousands of Sikhs at Delhi and various otber parts of tbe country were brutally massacred and their ' properties were .. t on fire. Innocent Sikb men, women and children were dragged out of their houses, buses, and trains, mercilessly beaten and burnt alive by mobs (Hindus). Most of the widows who filed affidavits before tbe Jll Itice Misra Commissian bad duly identified the killers of their husbands and children during tbe anti-Sikh riots. In fact the use oftbe word "fiat is a misnomer".

Nayantar. Sebgal'. comments in her article in the /fzdian Express captioned "Learning to love each other") is worth noting. They are as under:"Some newspaper headlines go out of their way to 'potlight the Sikh community, a8 in "Sit Sikbs held for assault", whereas we do not see 'Hindu bousebreaker arrested' or 'Gang of Muslim tbieves beld'. Another ·Sikh reader points out tbat tbe November 1984 massacre of the Sikhs has been mistakenly called riots. A riot, be says, is a battIe between ' more or less evenly matched communities. 'A Sikh running witb his turban under his arm and ' hundreds of Hindu running after him with iron rods i. not a riot".

Again she has commen ted: "Sikbs being dragged out of their vehides, trains, houses and ,et on fire, is not a riot.

Tbese killers are roaming free.

I f there is a law for Sikbs, wby is it not imposed on Hindus? Tbis is a valid question and no one bas yet answered it because the killen are indeed roaming free".

'There is every reason to Believe tbat reprisal Could have been prevented and scores of innocent lives saved if these criminals had been stripped of officiai patronage and brought to ju.tice".

Sikh Faith Attacked Here it would be quite pertinent tei mention that ' symbols, wbether religious or secular, bave a' deep spiritual life of tbeir own which no pow"r may s)lbvert ' or desecrate without causing great anguish aDd revulsion. Why a piece of masonry, a relic, a Icroll or a flag gets invested with emotion and sentiment is difficult to explain or justify in terms of teason, but tbe fact remains tbat any insult to it Can unleash dark energies. It is most unfortunate ' wben tlVO communities indulge in this kind of violation or desecration _ the burning cf Sikh scriptures and temples or tbe planting of tbo ,evered beads of cows in Hindu places of worship, but when tbe police administration becomes a party to this kind of vaudalism out of its own failure tbe issue assumes prodigious proportions. There was a reliable information tbat weapons were taken inside the Golden Temple.

But bow? The explanation waR tbat they were carried , in the trucks o~ ration. But a ,.uestion may anse as to who allowed their entry without search . It must bave been done under the instruction of bigher authorities.

T d erronsm aD Its tackling Terrorism is reprehensible, whetber resorted to by desperate individuals. organized groups ' or by tbe state. When "black laws" (a term used by some jurists) are ~nacted to. terrorize a commuuity Into submiSSion, and tbe macbinery of oppression is given a free hand it creates conditions for spreading terrorism.

There is no more a dangerouB person than the one who bas been humiliated, bunted down, tortured and then punisbed for a crime he has had not committed. Such a person is' brutalized in the process and if be bappens to be

TfIB "SPOKESMAN" WBBKllY in the prime of his }outh, the route to terrorize opens up, and the passage is swift and inexorable. It is most probably due to burt feelings of a youth with a deep anguish, besides the sense of rescue from army men', atr6cities during the combing opera:tions. '\~ Sucb youths, who had escaped l·to Pakistan had fallen an 'easy prey for exploitation by that conn try . They were then trained militarily there and sent to Punjab from time to time to create tronbles and destsbilis. the government. The nnmber of such terrorists is very small, but they believe in the idealogy of 'do or die' . There is a belief with some people that some of the terrorists recently arrested are ones who were released unconditionally loon after the Bamala Goveroment took Over.

This notion is not fully correot, because the clearance was given by the Bains Commission .after fully screening and as aUeged

by Sardar Barnala a very few {If them had mixed np with terrorists. Some of them had to j~in that group under compnls.on. as tbey could not procure employment and start their lives afresh. Hence this is not purely a law ana order problem, b:lt it is mainly a political ' and economic problem.

Terrorism is not confined to Punjab only, thougb for every ·ca~e, .whether trifling or . big, ctlme IS associated with a Sikh by the media. It is a fact that even under the ordinary circumstances two to tbree murders per day for a state like Punjab is not somethi ng uoexpected and should not ca~se a worry. Even if people ·commlt such heInOUS crimes out of revenge the media treats them as acts of terrori,ts . What about states like U.P., Bihar Gujrat and Tripura etc, where' the rate of murders is far more than tbat of Punja b but it is causing no anx.ety. In fact. remedy should .b~ prescribed after diagnosing the d.sease properly. The solution of the problem can not be secured by always beating a drum of batred against a particular community.

In. a democracy if bealthy ·trad.tlOns are to be restored it is imperative to create an atmos~ pbere of communal harmony. H IS most nnfortunate that instead of promoting peace more cleavages and divisions are being created between two communities in Punjab. Every action is followed by its reaction. Outwardly leaders of political parties, which connt, raise loud slogans of nnity and integrity, but in actual practice none is lagging behind in arousing feelings of batred overtly or covertly and Whether it is Pnnjab or ontside for even a ·triHing matter where a difference {lccnrs in any business dealing .between a Sikh and a Hindu it

turns into a scume and then a communal clasb. Both the parties comforably forget their cordial relations of the past and centuries old fraternity is crushed into pieces. Thus political neta. (leaders) are out to make fool of us, as they are mainly interested in their political games. In yonr practical experience yon mnst have noticed that sometimes smaIl issues of today become major problems of tomorrow.

Had Mrs. Gandhi decided the old demands of Sikhs grievances without indefinitely pOSlponing those problems would have certainly not taken such a serious and horrible turn. and the situaion is Punjab wonld have been entirely different.

7

215t April. 1986

canse of ' the freedom ' of the conntry. It is considered to recapitnlate the statistics by the following data: - (during the freedom movement, before partition) Nature of punishment Persons hanged Life imprisonment Massacre of Jallianwala Bagh Budge Budge Ghat Kuka movement Total

ment sbould be supported by all political panies, irrespective of their ideologies. This was a very appropriate decision. However a very tough task is ahead of Sardar Barnala. in as much as, if

Total 121 2646 1300 113 91

---4271

Sikhs 93 2197 799 67 91

---3247

perceotage 78 % 81 % 61 % 60% 100%.

----

76%.

The holy scriptures (Guru he take. any drastic step to flnsh Granth Sahib) has condemned out the activists of AlSSF and terrorism of any soct. Guru Tegh Damdami Taksal he would be Bahadur (Ninth Guru), was a running the risk of rift in hi. saviour of Hindns and a martyr' party. The group of Sardar Badal for the cause of the nation. One and Sardar Tohra are likely to Role of press and the of his semons is ' " Beh kahu ko oppose Sardar Barnala on this discrimination with Sikhs det neh, neb Beh· manat aan" grave issue.

Some responsible political (yon shonld neither terrorise any Moreover, the so called extreleaders hold an opinion that body,'nor you should feel frighthere is DO discrimination shown tened from any terror). A true mists bave a logical ground to to Sikbs, as Sikhs are prosperous Sikh of the Guru can never kill occnpy a small portion of the in every Dook and corner of the any innocent person. People who Temple and complex's premises conntry. Sikhs by and large have are indnlging in senseless crime. for carrying out Kar-seva being never believed .i n "KhaHstan". must be doing so under some condncted by a committee of five People know fu1Jy well whose crea- instigation of foreign elements members. Thus, this . unexpected tion was Sant Bhinderanwala and and snch people can not be called and tedious situation has posed a problem for Sardar who had brought Dal Khalsa into true Sikhs. That is why such grave e.istence. I need not disclose the persons are being condemned by Barnala, Further, had Sardar Badal joined the cabinet, promoters' names here. The aU right thinking people. goveromemt would media in India has done a great This serious problem was Barnala', injustice to the Sikhs by black- debated by the National Integra- have surely accomplished more painting their image which was tion Council held on 7th April at and viable stabilished !I:ore and hitherto glorified with innnmera- Delhi and it was decided by viable stability. There is a contest ble sacrifices rendered for tbe consensus that Barnala's Govern- for number-2 position between Sardar Bal want Singh and Sardar Parkash Singh Badal. None has yielded so far, whleh is most unfortunte, It seems that none is prepared to do some sacrifice for the cause of the country and the Punjab state.

Some Suggestions '

1. It is being repeatedly averred by the authorities that 9 ont of the 11 clanses "of the Accord" have been implemented, but those clauses have not been olarified.

One of them pertains to Justice Misra Commission' enquiry into anti-Sikh riots. Unless the culprit', who are roaming freely and fearlessly, are brought to book and punished there cannot be peace,in the minds of the victims.

If thIS deep-rooled anguish is allowedto persist for any indelimte time peace can not be restored.

2. Chandigarh should be handed over to Punjab immediatly.

3. Detenus in Jodhpur jail or elsewhere against whom no case is established should be reieased· forthwith. Ri,hts of minorities (Sikhs) should be fully protected and confidence in their security ontside Punjab should be restored, so that mass· scale migration to Punjab is stopped.

4. More avennes of employment for the yonth ~n Punjab should be opened . .

THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

·8

Improvement on PUnjab trlmt, says report Just two days after the National Integration CouDcil discussed the unusual spurt in terrorist viQlence in Punjab in an emergency Be,sion, the annu.l report of the Union Home Ministry says that "the law and order situation showed an improvement with the sIgning of the Punjab and Assam accords and the holding of elections; free of violence, in both these States."

The annual reports of Central Ministers, released when the respective budgetary demands are due to be discussed in tbe Lok Sabha, are supposed to cover the outgoing financial year. The

Heme Ministry's report, made available now, tbus relates to tbe period, April \. 1985 to Marcb 31,1986.

Going by the realities on the ground, the year ended on a disturbing note. An offici·al document prepared for NIC meeting did not mince words about the Punjab situation. "The situation in Punjab," it said, "poses a grave challenge which has to. be met at a.II ' levels through a multi-pronged effort. ThIs casts a speCIal responsl, bility on leaders of all political parties . It is felt that terrorism-at: present being indulged in by a sm.1l number of misguided per',?~s­ po,es a serious challenge to communal harmony and relIgIOU.· tolerance. If such activities escalate, it is lik ely to threaten the law' and order structure."

On this Baisakhi Day. 181 us sow harmony Be reap peace.

Let the seed of brotherhood blossom into the flower of peace and prosperity and 'brlng forth the harvest of unity. . Let us aU fight the blight of subversion and join hearts and minds in a bond of love.

;

..0.

-~' "

PU8UC R~I,ATlONS

PUNJAB

--

Bring back the song and dance . Peace and prosperity to Pw1jab

-

,

••

THI! "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

LeJ-ters to ~ ~

,~

the Editor '

Terrorism in Punjab Sir, -The killings of innoce.nt rather than killing them. 'persons deserve to be condemned During discussions. however, in strongest terms. The heart it was not difficult to mark deep bleeds to read the headlines of sense of hurt, .ngaish and alienathe newp.pers and head hangs tion writ large on their faces down in shame to find that a man which Was allegedly the result of has turned to be a beast devoid thoughtless and senseless actions of any sympathy and valne for of tbe Central Government incluhuman life. ding unprecedented oppression let The cult of violance in Punjab loose on the Sikhs and their is, however, of recent growth, the womenfolk by the army during why and how of which has and after the Operation Bluestar. already b~en debated quite ex- They are angry and emotional tensively. \Vitbo ut~ therefore, young men ha" ing a i3.rge num~ going into the causes, we would ber ofsympathi,ers and supporters ",nly suggest th.t Ihe ch~lIange can in the villages of Punjab. They be effectively met and the evil of are, no doubt, against the politerrorism. C!ln be rooted out with cies of the Government but are the combined efforts of all the not anti-national.

Punjabis ir respective of their We are of the firm view that religi o n, caste and creed.

they can be won over with tact,

Tbe hard fact, however, is that there is nil rapport between Sikhs and Hindus and even .amongst the Sikhs laemselves.

sympathy and love and not with the threats of violence. We, therefore, appeal to the Central as also Punjab Government to be magnanimous and start a dialogue with the representatives of these organisation; either directly or indirectly, listen to their

The t WQ important segments of

·the Sikh community e.g. AISSF ·and Damdami Taksal do not see ·eye to eye with the ruling Akali Dal party and trade aliegations agalost each other. Th. terrorisls naturally take advantage of the .infighting and strik e at will Unm indful of the fact whether tho victims are Hindus or Sikbs.

The sale inten tion of tbe terrori·sts seems to creat. ill-will, distrubances and destabilisation ,i n the state.

Recently we had met Ihe representatives of All India Sikh Students Federation and Damdami Taksal at Amritsar. They ·condemned vioJence and terror a

ism in no uncertain terms and

categorically stated that violence against Ihe basic tenets of the Sikhism, wbich are dearer to ihem than anything else. According to tbem a true Sikh is duty ·bound to protect tbe innocents 'IS

grievances and try to remove the genuine one_~. Enlistment of their

cooperation and support is absolutely nece"ary to crush the ugly head of terrorism in Punjab.

The Government should not stand on false prestige at such a critical juncture affecting Ihe integrity and security of the whole country . If oaf Government did not hesitate. to talk to Laldenga of Mizos and extremists of . Nagaland who had been fighting with our army for so many years then what can be the hitcb in talking to tbe representatives of the organisations who are neither seccessionists nor anti-nationals.

- B. S. MaiDee, Advocate - G.S. Chadha, Atlvocate -Lt.Col. MaDobar Singh (Retd .)

New Delhi

RSS's Chief Advice Sir,-RSS Chief Balassheb Deoras' advice to the majority -communitv in the nation not to nurse hatred against the wbole Slkb CommuDity because of the foul aDd violent deeds of a -misguided section thereof. is both timely and ,agacious.

He has rightly described tbe Sikhs as an integral part of the Hindu s0ciety, and emphasized with admirable conviction that eveD the law in India includes Buddhists, Iains and Sikhs among the Hindus. (The Sikhs have DO personal law of their own, the Hindu personal law is equally applicable to all Sikhs).

There is not an iota of doubt that the Sikhs are part and parcel of the great Hindu society. They are at ODce an off sboot and the sword-arm of the Hindus. It is no secret that the Khalsa Panth

was instituted by tbe 10th Guru (Gohind Singh) in the 17th century primarily for tbe protection of the Hindus who constituted a persecuted and oppresed majority under the intolerant and despotic regime of the later Moguls. It was in fact at the instance of the Kashmiri Pandits, that the ninth· Guru (Tegb Bahadur) had offered himself as a sacrifice to stem the tide of forcible conversion of Hindus iuto Muslims.

A touching demonstration of tbi, fraternal bond between the Sikhs and Hindus is the daily presence in tbousands of Hindu devotees and pilgrims at tbe Guru's Shrine in Delhi's historic Ch.ndni Chowk (Gurud wara Sisganj) . It was at this site that nuru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in 1675 at the o~ders o f Emperor A. urangzeb.

9'

21st April, 1986

Ti es of his tory, c('ImmGn cul· viya was so throughiy impressed ture, language and kin9ttip bind wir.h the spirit of sacrifice and the two communities in Punjab the indomitable courage of the into a common brotherhood. Sikhs at Iaito (in Nabha) and at Traditi onally , Hindus bave pro- Iallianwa lla Bagh tb at he openly tected Sikh, and Sikhs h ave pro- w;,hed there were a Sikb in every tected Hindus. In many a HlDdu Hindu family Ihroughout the family, in Punjab, tbe eld"t son country, -Ompraka.h Kohli will be found to be a Sikh. In fact Pandit Mada n Mohan Mala- Bombay

Uncmlled for Criticism Sir,-It is unfortuDate that Punjab is witnes!>ing violence even after a massive mandate in

favour of the Akali Dal led by Surjit Singb Barnala. The very fact of the overwhelmin g vote ca,t shows the people's need for peace and harmony. Yet there i, some thing wrong somewhere.

This exercising the minds of all.

Foreign and internal vested interests, the Haryana lobby, the communal di vide , the

non~impIe­

mentation of the Punja b accord, tbe misguid ed Sikh and Shiv Sena youth are the different foci of altention and analy,is. But what irk. a dispassionate educated Punjabi is tbe uncalled for criticism of the stance ado"ted by the Barnala government ..

The circumstances under which Barnala took over as ohief mlDister put bim under a compelling political n.ecessity to give to Sikh youth an opportunity to rehabiiitato themselves . This is misconstrued by some people as a partisan attitude. No democrat can conceivably think of an atternative to what Barnala has chosen to do.

If a political assessment of the chief minister has to be made, one would unite witb all right thinking individuals in holding that Barnal. is one of the very rew politician, in the country who are value based. There could be:no better choice than him. A

bardliner wou 'd have brought the state to the br ink of disaster or a dire ct confrontation with Ihe Centre. If a d 'cent person like Barnala is un8c;ceptable, one wonders wh.t kind of cbief minister do we deserve.

Imagine the multiple problems facing him. Do we expect him to go and prol ect Ihe borders from undesirable in fIltrators? Is tbe implementation of tbe Punjab accord in h is hand s? Sikh militants attack him with bullets for he is not a hald·liner. The other community puts him under fire for being partisan . There are also vested political inlerests. After mch" holocaus t as Punjab has witnessed , the opposition parties

ought to bave shown a democratic spirit in rebuilding the state in cooperat ion with the elected government but regret fuli y

nar-

row political and communal intersts weigh more with some than the vision for building strife-torn Punjab. In a set up other than ours, a value based

politician like Barnal. would have been welcomed as a blessing. If all of us look within and cleanse QUI selves there is no reason wby terrorism cannot bt: checked. Let us pray for such introspection. Let the Centre provide to him whole-hea.iied support.

- Avtar Singh Amritsar

o

10

THE"SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

Birmingham Student, Exchange Group Visits India A group of 38 studen (s and teachers from three !nn ~ r city area schools i.e .. H.ndsworth Wood Girls' School, Broadway School and Comprehensive Handsworth New Road School from Birmingha,n visited India from 15th of March to 3rd of April, 19'6. Tbis group of students and teachers was sponsored by the Midlands-U.K. branch of International Punjabi Society and stayed in Delhi at tbe International Punjabi House as guests of the International Punjabi Society whicb not only arranged for their accommodation and hospitality but a'so provided them witb an air-conditioned coach throughout their slay in Delhi to enable them to visit various places.

Dr. Inderjil Singh. President of the International Punjabi Society took keen personal inlerest to make their visit to India 'a great success'. Mr. K.N. Singh, a journalist and an active member of the Society coordinated the programme of this group and made arrangements for their visits to various schools, places of interest and important people.

Mo.t of the students of tbis group are of tbe Indian origin who were either born in U.K. or were brought tnere at a very young age and did not know anything about the great cultural heritage of their parents. This visit enabled these young persons of all colours and cultures to share experiences with young person. brought up and living in India.

Mr. John Goss, the Headmaster of Broadway Scbool, Mr. Robert Cunningham, Headmaster of Handsworth New Scbool, Mrs. Vasantbi Rao, Head Teacher of Handsworth Wood Girls' Scbool, Mrs. M. Darlington, a retired Head Teacher, Mr. Owyin Richards, B.B.C.'s Radio Cban-

nel4 reporter, Mr. Karam Ram, Pbotographer and Mr. Sbashi Joshi, also took extra pains to make this visit a memorable one for their student, and teacbers.

On tbeir arrival at Palam Airport by Pan Am flight on tbe early bours of 15tb Marcb, the members of this group were greeted with garlands and were brought to International Punjabi House for rest and climatising and later in tbe evening were taken to Red Fort to see the Sound and Ligbt Sbow, the 'Son-et-Lumieres'. In tbe forenoclD they were visited by Dr. Inderjit Singh, who hosted a sumptuous welcome dinner for tbero.

On 16th of Marcb, the group visited Qutab Minar, Humayun Tomb, Red Fort, Raj Gbat, India Gate and other places. In the evening the group was invited for 'High Tea' at the farm house of Mr. V.M. Sabharwal, an industrialist from Birmingham.

The 17th of March was reserved for their visit to various schools in Delhi. First of all tbey visited Ouru Harkrishan Public School, Vasant Vibar wbere they were H.s. greeted by Principal, Singba and members of his staff a. well as students. They attended the morning prayer, visited various class rooms and later had an interesting discussion with the members of the school staff as stud en ts were busy with their examinations. Later they visited Bal Bharati Public School, Pwa Road, where' they were greeted

by Mr. S.K. Bbattacharya, Principal and members of his staff.

After having a round ot school they had a lively discussion with the students as well as with tbe teachers of this school. Later tbe group also visited Asboka Hotel for a cup of coffee and in the evening tbey visited Connaught Place for sboppitig.

On the early hours of 18th

Shri Amitabh Baehhan, the matinee idol and member of parhament is s<en Jepi ying to the questions being asked ~by group of Birmingham students.

,~ .,

March tbis group left for Sbimla and visited Karan Lake, Pinjore Gardens, Chand'garh and other places of tourist interest besides scbools, before returning to Delhi on the evening of 21st March to be served with a lavish dinner by Sardar Manjit Singh Dbupia, General Secretary of the Society.

On the 22nd of Marcb the group visited Buddba Garden, Bida Mandir, Gurdwara Bangia Sahib and had tbeir lunch at M.P.'s canteen at North Avenue.

Later they visited National Museum, Teen Murti and Pragati Maidan to see varion. exhibitions.

In the evening tbe group were selved witb a nice dinner bosted

by Mr. Ramesb JaiD, Vice President of the Society. Tbey also met Mrs. Manjit Chadha, a teacher and Mrs. and Mr. Sunil Malhotra.

On 23rd and 24th March, tbe group visited Matbura-tbe birtb place of Lord Krishna and various historical monuments at Agra and Fatebpur Sikri, including the world-famous 'Taj'.

On 24th evehing after dinner at Punjabi HOUle, they narrated with pleasure tbe detail. of their memorable visits to all these wonderful monuments.

On 25th Morcb tbey were invited for a cup of tea at the residence of Mr. ManveDdra Singh. M.P. and later called upon Mr. Balram Jbakar, Speaker ot Lok Sabha and spent over half an hour with bim. Tbe Hon. Speaker invited them to watcb the 'Question Hour' in Parliament wbicb tbey really enjoyed.

They had an excellent lunch meeting wltb the students of Guru Harkrishan Public School, PuraDa Quila Road and bad an informal discussion with students, staff and principal of tb. scbool Mr. L.S. Boplrai.

In tbe evening before attending tbe dinner hosted by Mr. H.S. Sangatpuri, Vice-President of the Society at International Punjabi House. the visiti.ng students presented a nice cultural programme to entertain the guests wbicb included students from Guru Har Krisban Public School.

The Head Master and Head Teacher of these scbools also presented beautiful momentos to Dr. Inderjit Singh, Mr. Sangatpuri and to Mr. K.N. Singb in appreciation of the excellent arrangements which tbe society has made for ' their accommodation, food and transport, etc.

Tbe group on 26tb Marcb Holl celebrations whicb were organised by Mr. Yogesh Suena at his house. Tbey were second to none in pouring coloured wa ter and Gulal on their bosts and thorougbly enjoyed tbis festival of colour and joy. nex t morning the The group left for tbeir visit to Rajastban and visited Ajmer, Pushkarji, Udaipur, Cbittorgarb, Jaipur and other places:of tourist interest before returning to Delbi on 1st

list April, 1986 of Apri!. They were , nterlained' wit~ a v".ry lavisb Indian vegetanan dmner by Mrs. Kiran, Modi and Mr. Sudhir Modi and! were bappy to meet Dr. S. 1<:_ Sarin, bis family and also excbanged gifts with the young: members of Modi family.

2nd April was the most memorable day for the group. In tbe morning tbey visited Sardarni Sada Kaur Kbalsa Oirl's Senio~ Secondary SchOOl at Daryagan] where they attended tbe morning: assembly. Books and flowers were presented to all the' m~m~ers of the group bY' Pnnclpal. Mrs. 1.K. Sodhi, staff and students and latel' tbey were entertained with an impressive cultural programm ..' by tbe young budding ,tndentS'. of the school.

This was followed bv theil' visit to tbe residence of 'famoul film star and Member of Parliament, Mr. Amitabh Bachhan who> gladly replied to all the questions, of bis thrilled fans from U. K. In the evening a decent farewei din.ner was organised by internatIOnal Punjabi Society which was hosted by Sbri H. L. Mebra, to meet these studentsand th eir teacbers . Studenls from' Guru Harkrishan Public School enteraiDed tbe group and other guests with an excellent Punjabi' caltural programme which included songs and Bhangra. 'There' were also drum beaters on whosO' tUDe not only tbe Ibe students from U.K. and Indian schools, but their teachers and th. guests. dan~d till almost at inidnight..

The group was given a tearful farewel at Palam Airport in the ver>: early hours of 3rd Aprii.af!er then three weeks visi t to India where tbey Were quite 'at home~ during this wonderful trip ¡ w~icb they had thoroughlY. enjoyed.

How they all felt about India Indian people and culture can ~ summed up from the rew !ineli' of the letter which Mrs. V.G â&#x20AC;˘.

Rao, Principal of Handsworth.

Wood Girls' School wrote to> Mr. K.N. Singb after tbeir returnto u.K. OD 4th April, 1986.. I do not know wbat to say' except what I have alreadysaid. Tbree weeks ago I Wa& nervous, apprehensive and worried, not knowing wbat was on tbe other side. But after roeeting you and Dr. Inderjit Singh, We felt safe' and hopeful. Since then wedid Do t bave a minute's worry. I really appreciate al~ your hard work, friendliness and support in the last three, weeks. You were the epitome, of Indian tradition and hospit.bity. It is good to know' tbat good people like you stil~ exist and there is hope for this world."

,

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.Honey can cure

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21st April, 1986

'

Prof.

G:S: Talib

passes away ,

-

' By ' : Rojtsh Bhambi Ii.hed .

Honey is co'nsider<d a 'part of increases glucose reserve whicb .

The Punjab Chief Minister, the traditiQnal 'materia "medi'a\' not Qnly feeds the tissue cells .of . ,c , Sardar Surjit Singh Barnala, his CablDet colleagues and a number for. wbich this ancient.Jand of tbe lIver but also IDcrea.es Its of political, social and r",igious Eharat is known fOf. There are reserve of glycogen and improves leaders mourned the death . Qf references of tllis unique liquid- the process Qf'. tissue· replacement food in Qur scriptures. In certain in the body. Liver diseases afe Prof Talib, describing hiro as a cases boney h~s been referred to. subject to clinical treatment with . deeply religious man and a res. pected teacher. as sometbing . wblcb sbould be iotravenom ; mjections, but if cQnsidered " Pavitra" (pious) and honey is taken orally it · would Sardar Barnaia 'said in Prof to. be used on auspicious Qcca- serve in a better way. It can- be Talib's death Punjab bas lost ;m sions. Even' today, when we have said that honey is an all-rounder outstanding scholar. entered the atomic age honey is remedy . Even ' sportsmen who Tbe Punjab Governor, Mr a much· wanted item at tbe time want to built up tbeir stamina Sidhartha Sbankar Ray, expressQf a cbild's birtb. Honey has should use this fOQd. ing grief Qver the demise ' Qf Dr definatelY got to be administered Mr A.K. Mikhailov reCQmTalib, said in his deatb the state to the new born babe, although mended the use of honey for eye bad been deprived of the services in tbe form of a single drop . ailments . According to him the of a noted scholar, a prolific Recently, the Punjab Agricul- use Qf eucalyptus honey as an writer and an eminent teacher. tural University ( PAU ) conducted ointment can treat , welling Qf a real man of letters. an extensive research on honey eyelids, conjunctivitis and even Prof (Dr) Gurbachan Singh and recommended its use for cornea sores. It is very important Talib, 70, a noted scholar, died Mr Ray said Dr Talib' s enorinfants and tbe aged. Scienti.ts that sterilised boney frQm the in Patiala Qn April 9, at a heart mous contribution in the field of of tbe PAU agreed that tbe honey comb sbould be used fQr education and the monumental attack.

Vedas . considered honey as the treatment of eyes, but under work wbicb he produced in Padma He was awarded nature's most precious food. the supervision of a doctor. the transle tion of ibe holy Bhushan for his scholarly contri· Tonics were prepared out of Dentists have also recommended bution last year.

Sri Guru Granlh Sahib would honey for tbe retention of 'youth' the use of honey because ,of it.

He was credited with the keep his memory fQrever alive. as also to provide "pleasure in active anti-biotic properties. The translation of the Guru Granth Prof Talib is survived by his matters of sex". Honey, belDg an use of honey is also a disinfectant Sahib into English, Two of its widow, a son and four daughters analpet'c, serves as a remedy for fQr tbe mouth. volumes have already been puball married ' various distases, because of Its Dr Zaffer Attar, another healing effects. A Soviet surgeon. authQrity on the .ubject has 1985 V. M. Krinitsk ,v, had concluded pointed out that the incidence of Tbe fast pace of growth in In recent tir:1es, f.nd la's tbat honey helped in healing cancer amongst bee-keepers is engineering expot ts to Germany wound, more quickly b ecause it very low i.e. a mere 03 in every Indo-German trade continued in .h elped in bringing a marked 1,00,000 while amongst other 1985. As per the latest statistics have been ga in ing in prominence increase in glutathi'ne in tbe professionals it is 10 time, higher. from Germany, trade between and a chieved a further growth in wound and glutathine plays a The Cornell UniverSity is already the two countries increased to the 1985. Thev cOn1 ('1ris e m Clc r.in r rTJ .d(lrninant role in oxidation! conducting further investigations new record figure of nearly 5 electro-technicai goods, precisi;~ reductIOn process in the organism Qn the nature of tumour therapy . billion DM (4.837 billion DM or engineering and transport equipRs. 25billiQn). This implies an ment. Togetber {hey accounted and simulates cell growth. Honey with honey. has an anti-biotic action due to - - - - - - - - - - - - - increase of about 20% as com- for about 3 % of Indian exports pared to 1984. to Germany. the high concentration of natural The growth in the trade •• ugars On the ohter hand, I .White Elect,otechnical gQods, iron beli eved that the be.ling property For th~ first time, India will vQlume is mainly due to. an and steel and chemicals and increase in imports whi'ch rose by Qf honey is due to the presence be accorded a special statu, at pharmac~uitcals led t~e import of hydrogen peroxide (H2 02).

DRUPA, the world'. No . 1 print- 28 % . E, ports "chieved a less Cold a common ailment in ing fair to be held from May 2 to . spectacular growth rate of 3.5 % . growths iO 1985. MachlDery imports which had declined in 1984 India , can easily be cured with 15, 1986. Tn a separate pavilion, The focus of export growth was recovered in 1985 a substantial centred around leather good,. honey taken with warm milk just an Indian Culb is to be set up, increase.

Cotton garments which had made an hour before going to bed. This designed as a convenient 'and The ' Indo'German Chamber would also remove the congestion suitable place where Indian a comeback in a big way in 1984 to a great extent in the body, businessmen can meet and nego- could make furtber progress in of Commerce expects a grQwing whicb makes One feel better and tiate with their foreign counter; 1985. The surge in- the export of ,uccess in India's export' to. cotton fabrics continued in 1985, Germany in 1986. The increased relieved in tbe morning . parts.

Honey bas been considered An Indian restaurant will Tea exports continued to develop competitiveness due to the decline to be a very valuable food com- make both Tndian vegetarian and positively as in 1984 bringing in a in value of the Indian Rupee 'Ponent, which contains the much non-vegetarian meals available. higher per unit value and where t,?warlls the German Mark com. assimilated glucose and ma kes This will be a special attraction precious and semi-precious s!ones b1rled w l ~h m.creascd efforts in food easily digestible. The heart, not only for tbe 5,000 Indian are concerned, the downtrend of export promotIon should lead to positi ve r~s1.l1 ts. which functions continuously visitors expected at DRUPA, but 1984 has been reversed. spends a lot of body energy, but also for visitors from other counif boney is regularly used , it will tries. An additiQnal feature at the OUR SUaSCRIPTIOl\l RATES compensate for the loss of energy India Pavilion will be an infor· . Yearly Subscription: Rs.60/· INDIA and also strengthen the mu,cles mati On stand set up by the IndoLife Membership: Rs.1100/. (For 20 Years) of the heart thereby removing German Chamber of Commerce.

FOREIGN COUNTRIES various types Qf cardiac diseases.

DRUPA ,86 is expected to Country By Sea Mail

By Air Mail With the regular in take of honey surpass all previous records with U.S.A. U.S, Dollars 30 . U.S. Dollars 60 the heart gets stimulated and an anticipated exhibitor particiCanadian Dollars 40 Canadian Dollars 30 Canada obtain. the desired nutrition. It pation of almost 1,500 from 35 U.K. & all other .has been oleserved by the medical countries. India will be represenCoon tries in Europe Pounds 18 Pounds 27 world tbat the regular use of ted by two participating firms.

East African Countries honey as a food heal! patien t& Displays will b e spread Over a (Kenya, Uganda and 'feel better b ecause it also helps in mammoth exhibition area of Tanzania) Shillings 360 Shillings 540 building up of haemoglobin.

1,22,430 sq m (net) and will be Malaysia & Singapore, Dollars 40 Dollars 70 Gastric acidity can also. be viewed by a total Qf 3 00 000 Thailand Bahths 500 BaMhs 800 ;removed or at least relief could be visitors from all Over the ' w~rld, The subscription may be remitted through draft Or MO. to : provided by the use of honey. DRUPA is represented in India The Circulation Manager, THE "SPOKESMAN WEEKLY".

Similar is the case with liver by the Indo·German Chamber of 6'7, Northend Complex, R .K , Ashram Marg, New Delhi-lIGOOI. >cQmplications, The use of hQney Commerce.

10 % increase in Indo-German trade in

Indian Club at Drupa '86

Regd. No; D-(C)-85

THE

~'SPOK:ESMAN"

WEEKLY ··· R.N.I.

Regd .. ~3rS;

Communal Frenzy Being Whipped :U p In Punjab Bridges Between .H indus and Sikhs Must Be Kept Intact Hindu sentiments are being whipped up in Punjab to a fever pitch by a handfl1l of petty-minded upstarts who want to build their leadership on venomous slogans and cheap historinics.

They belong, in the main, to Punjab Hindu Shiv Sena, Punjab Hindu Rashtriy. Saogth.n. and Hindu Suraksna Samiti. A .ide show is provided by P~njab Hindu Students Foderation.

They are insidiously spiDl;ing around Hindus the web of fear and hatred. Pear against being driven out of Punjab by "Sikh" extremists . Hatred against all Sikhs. thougt. a vast majority of well·meaning among them are red up with daily indiscriminate violence by (Continued from front page) Sikhs who are detained in Jodh· pur and other jails. The CO'll' mittee was to include a representative of tbe Akall Dal. But this was not done. though a panel of three n~l[nes was sent to New Delhi. The government, instead. appointed Dr Gopal Singb. Lt.· Governor of Goa, as cbairman of the committee .

Tbis corumittl!e submitted its findings sometime ago. But these have not been conveyed to Punjab government so far.

Why ?

Now Punjab assembly bas unanimously passed a resolution, calling for general amnesty and witbdrawal of cases against all Sikhs detained outside Punjab.

It is true tbat some steps have beeo taken to reinstate or reba· bilitate Sikh soldiers wbo left tbeir ranks in June 1984 after Operation Bluestar.

Mr Rajiv Gandhi has to do something quickly to reSfore his credibility. Tbe vast fund of goodwill. which he hld b.ilt last year, stands drained out. Now People bave begun to feel that he is reverting to tbe sly manoeuvres of bis mother.

Tbe situation in Punjab is beco ming more complicated every day. The skein can be untied with a bold initiative and swift action ' on the political front . Dospatcb of more para'military . forces, though belpful in curtai ling acts of violence, cannot heal the ailment.

The real panacea lies in im· proving tbe political climate in Punjab- And thIS can be done with full and immediate imple· mentation of solutions envisaged in the Punjab accord.

tho terrorists. These - purblind Hindu. do not care to remember that terrorists have no religion; their guns are aimed at both Sikhs and Hindus, rather at everyone who crosses their path.

In fact. more Sikhs have been killed in recent month, than Hindus . The talk of Hindu back, lash is, tberofore, all b:loney .

By dividing Hindus and Sikhs, the leaders of the abo ve .four Hindu bodies are playing into tbe extremists' hands.

Classic elOmples were provid· ed «cently in several Punjab towns which were placed under curfew.

On tbe sligbtest pretext, Shiv

Sena President Jagdish Tangri has been calling for bandhs.

When Hindus and Sikhs sbowed keenness to open their shops, and thereby make a living. his men. indulged in petty hooliganism.

They tbrew brikbats ~t their favourite larget, Punjab police. and even fired at nearby Sikh ' houses from the safe lanctuary of Hindu temples. They tried to portray Hindu. as a beleaguered community figluing a lone battle againlt a turbaned majority.

Apart from a lunatic fringe. beth Sikhs and Hindus have kept their cool. Sbops of Hindus and Sikhs function side by side. No Hindu ever tbinks of sbifting out of Punjab. Most Hindus. confess that they have no quarrel with any of their Sikh neighbours.

Sikhs, on their part, nurse tbe grouse why the entire community

Citiuns' Justice Committee will Dot assist Misra Commission The Citizens' Justice Committee (CJe), which is assisting the R. N. Misra inquiry commission on the November, 1934 riots, has withdrawn from the proceed-· ings of the commission.

The CJC. headed by the for· mer chief justice of India, Justice S,M. Sikri, has intimated its decision to the Misra commission pleading belplessness to assist the panel in D.tbi. Kanpur and Bokaro becm" it did not agree witb tbe way the commission was functioning . The commiSiion, it alleged, bad conducted a major part of its proceedings without the CJC's knowledge. It had also refused to sbow some "vital documents" to the CJ.C Among the CJC members are Lt Clen. J.S. Aurora (Retd)., Sardar Kbushwant Singb, Mr Rajn; Kothari, tbe former chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court, Justice R.S. Narula, Mr Soli Sorbajee, Mr V.M. Tarkunde, Mr Gobinda Mukhoty and Ms Amiya Rao. It said while the culprits of the riots were still at large, the victims were being harassed and tbreatened witb dire consequen· ces in case they revealed the truth before the commission.

Despite repeated complaints about the harassment to tbe com· mission, the panel had Qone nothing to instil a sense ot con· fidence among the victims, the

CJC complained.

The CJC said th~ commission had rejected its request to sum' mon those high government officials who were responsible for tbe maintenance of law and order during that period. The Com' mittee was informed that the commission bad already recorded tbo statem ' nts of some of the officials even witbout disclosing their identities. It was also not allowed to cross examine them and instead, "untested reports of the commission's investigation agency were being relied upon without furnishing them to the CJC".. .

The CJC following a commis· sion directive had submitted detailed list of 3,870 people "bru· tally killed" in the post·Indira Gandbi assassinasion riotings in Delbi alone.

The CJC said while other people's orBanisations were allowed to participate in the commission's proceedings in Kanpur, it was not invited at all.

It pointed out that the Delhi administration had entrusted tbe task of investigation to the same police officials, who bad allegedly heJped the rioters.

21st April, 1986

be blamed for the terror unleashed by a (ew.

How does one say that all -terrorists are Sikhs ?

The government at tbe centre sllout. from housetops that they are Pakistani agenU, perbaps Muslims in Sikh garb. Many Sikhs ba ve begun to aUege that Hindu Sbiv Sena men are disguising as Sikhs and are out killing people, if only to malign Sikhs. .

InstJad of making Sikhs and Hindus come together acainst violence, these Hindu leaders are fanning communalism.

All Sikhs of sanity and goodwill bave always spoken .in favour of Hindu·Sikb unity.- Suc!D. a call is yet to be heard from any Hindu leader of some standing be he in Congress (I) or BJP other motley crowd of mushroom organi~atiops which claim tospeak In name of Hindu!.

0;

The bridges between the two. commuoities, thougb badly shaken. cannot be aUowed to bcdestroyed. If one goes down, tb... other cannot SUrv,Vt:.

The CJC has been informed' by the commission that it would ' be required to present its arguments before the commission tbis month. But it is "really at a loss. as to how it can discharge thi .. duty wben it finds tbat in all vi~al fields of inquiry the CJC is belDg excluded from its courseand conduct. To undertake such an exercise by tbe CJC is not feasible. In fact we apprebend: tbat altbougb we joined Ibe in. quiry with full vigour to pattici. pate and render our utmost ass is· tance in its various facets, we bave been gradually pusbed into fringe", the Sikri panel said.

"More than three fourtb or the inquiry and its materials are out of our reacb. The entire process of collection of basic' materials bas been kept a secret.

It is an in·camera inquiry witbin and does not measure upto the requirements of fairness and is n?~ in conformity witb tbe pro.

VISions of the act" t it added.

POPULAR FOR

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GUR OWAF.~

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Edited, printed and published by Charanjit Singh from 6, Northend Complex, R.K. Ashram Marg, New Delhi-! 10001 an" printed at Sumeet Printers, C'243, Chinyot Basti. P»harganj, New Delhi. Phone Office: 344676. Residence: 621717:

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