INDIAN’S PREJUDICE BEHAVIOUR WITH MINORITIES

Indian Army is an occupying force in Indian held Kashmir, Senior Akali Dal leader from Punjab Simranjit Singh Mann stated. He also said “There is injustice going on with Kashmiris people.” India occupied Kashmir in 1947 at the time of partition. People of Kashmiris were not willing to join India. Kashmiris have been made slaves by India.  Addressing a press conference, Mann said that Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute after New Delhi took the issue to United Nations and the same later passed number of resolution for its resolution and after the then Prime Minister Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru promised plebiscite for Kashmir. He said that Kashmir issue is not a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, as is claimed by New Delhi. Akali Dal’s leader also cited that he supported the demand of right of self-determination in Kashmir. Mann showed his willingness of resolving the Kashmir issue as per the desires of Jammu and Kashmir people.

Mann Singh claimed that there was military rule in J&K and Chief Minister has no powers, he said, “Article 370 which gives special status to J&K has been eroded. New Delhi has imposed its own laws in Kashmir. The job of army is on borders but they have kept them guarding Amarnath yatra.” Lashing out at High Court and Supreme Court Judges for maintaining their silence on the grave human rights violation here, he said they have no more right to get huge salaries and not protecting the right to life and liberty of people (Article 21). “It is unethical to hide the grave human rights violations in Kashmir,” he said.

It is the right time that Kashmir should get independence now from the despotic Indian rulers. Kashmir should be an independent state where they can live easily without any kind of intervention. There should be a referendum according to UN resolutions in Kashmir which Jawaharlal Nehru promised. The Two Time Member of Parliament from Taran Tarn said that according to UN Resolutions, India had promised a plebiscite in Kashmir. But they are not fulfilling their promise. Situation in Kashmir will not improve till Kashmiris are given their rights,” he said. Terrorism is also at its peak in Kashmir. Human rights violations, killings of innocent Kashmiris, negating the rights of Muslims are the basic and major forms of terrorism in Kashmir which are now become the part of campaign by Indian Army. He claimed that Gujarat Chief Minister Narednra Modi was working on Hinduvta agenda. “BJP and Congress are two sides of a same coin and minorities are neither safe in BJP rule nor in Congress rule.”

In the end, I would like to say that Kashmir should get independence from the brutal Indians so that they can live easily according to their rights and Indian courts should take strong action against the brutalities of Indian Army in Kashmir.

Indian Political Blunder: Sikh Genocide 1984

General Sinha was the General Officer Commanding Western Command, a prestigious appointment in the early eighties, and was transferred to Delhi as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, with the expectation that he would succeed General K. V. Krishna Rao as the Army Chief.

He was supposed to familiarize himself with the office of the Army Chief. It was a surprise when he was superseded and Lt.-Gen. A. S. Vaidya, the GOC-in-C Eastern Command was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff. After which General S. K. Sinha submitted his resignation. This is a narration by a close associate of Gen Sinha. This all happened in the backdrop of Operation Blue Star.

Wikipedia accounts, Indira Gandhi first asked Lt. Gen. S. K. Sinha, then Vice-Chief of Indian Army, to prepare a position paper for assault on the Golden Temple. Lt. Gen. Sinha advised against any such move, given its sacrilegious nature according to Sikh tradition. He suggested the government adopt an alternative solution. Henceforth, a controversial decision was made to replace him with General Arun Shridhar Vaidya as the Chief of the Indian army. General Vaidya, assisted by Lt. Gen. K Sundarji as Vice-Chief, planned and coordinated Operation Blue Star.

S. K. Sinha had advised the government against the operation. He later criticized the Government’s claim that the attack represented a “last resort”. He also stated that the operation would have been conducted in an entirely different manner if he had planned it.

He also pointed out that a few days before the Operation; the Home Minister had announced that the troops would not be sent to the Golden Temple. There was no need to issue such statements when the government was to act in a manner contrary to what had been said.

But, the Operation seems to have been in plans much earlier. The General has alleged that the army had been rehearsing the operation in a replica of the Golden Temple at a secret location near Chakrata Cantonment in the Doon Valley.

The timing of Operation Blue Star coincided with a Sikh religious day, the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, the founder of the Golden Temple. Sikhs from all over the world visit the temple on this day. Many Sikhs view the timing and attack by the Indian Army as an attempt to inflict maximum casualties on Sikhs and demoralise them, and the government is in turn blamed for the inflated number of civilian dead for choosing to attack on this day.

Mark Tully in his dispatches during and just after the bloody massacre of Sikh community in 1984 states: even if the arguments against a siege are accepted, they don’t justify the army’s decision to mount the operation while Sikhs were celebrating the anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan, who had built the Golden Temple and compiled the Guru Granth Sahib. This inevitably compounded Sikh anger about the operation. It also meant that the temple complex was particularly crowded and this was why so many civilians were killed.

The Sikh community’s anger and suffering was further increased by comments from leading newspaper editors, such as Ramnath Goenka, terming the operation as “A greater victory than the win over Bangladesh, this is the greatest victory of Mrs. Gandhi”.

Indira Gandhi could have delayed action against Bhindranwale but she realised voters were beginning to think she lacked the will to act. In search of political gain, countless Sikhs were murdered and no one was held accountable.

Voice for Khalistan Echoes in Capitol Hill

Washington – A leading Sikh group has gained access to the powerful corridors of the Capitol Hill with ultimate goal of seeking US lawmakers’ moral support for the creation of an Independent State for followers of Sikh religion, bifurcating, Indian Punjab, the Sikh majority state, The Daily Mail learnt.

When more than two dozen lawmakers announced formation of the first-ever Sikh American Congressional Caucus last week at the Capitol Hill, it was the presence of quite a number of individuals and representatives of organizations, who have always been openly supporting the cause of Khalistan, making everyone feel the importance and sensitivity amongst the Sikh to have an independent State, getting rid of the imposed Hindu rule.

"Sikhs who were present in the Sikh Congressional Caucus event in Washington were activists for the rights of Sikhs and were motivated by ideology of pro-Khalistan," said a prominent member of California-based North America Punjabi Association (NAPA).

A number of eminent Sikh American organizations say that as the courts back in India are now probing the riots of 1984 and the way the brutalities and ruthless killings of Sikhs by the Indian Security Forces during that era, which is by no means over yet, it becomes imminent for Sikhs to demand a separate and Independent State where they can live their lives with complete religious freedom and without any mistreatment on the basis of their religion or race.

These Sikhs, who also enjoy the support of the Sikhs, living in Canada and England in particular and from the rest of the world in general, say that the Capitol Hill is the best platform to gain support for this very legitimate and legal cause and they would continue to convince US lawmakers and policy makers to extend their support to this just cause.

They say that they do not support militancy for such purposes and that was why they had adopted the most democratic and most appealing way of gaining the moral support for their cause.

The Indian Embassy in Washington, which was not invited to this event, what many term as a historic one, has said it has always stood for the protection of the interests of all Indian Americans including members of the Sikh American community.

Insiders in the Sikh American community, who worked behind scenes for the creation of the Sikh Caucus, said that the Indian Embassy officials had expressed displeasure to the US lawmakers over the move.

An official of a New York-based Sikh advocacy group said, this was one of the reasons that none from the Indian Embassy were present at the launch event, which for the pro-Khalistan group is being billed as their major "diplomatic victory" against India after a long time.

However, the lawmakers, after the input by the Indian Embassy have asserted that the goal of this caucus is to address the issue of "hate crime" against the Sikhs US, as the community has been a major victim of it post 9/11.

"Rest assured, this platform will not be used against India. We are aware of the strategic importance of India-US relationship," a Congressional aide said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Discrimination Of Sikhs In India

India who depicts itself the most democratic country in the world does not give the rights to the minorities of their country. Muslims are not given their rights. Sikhs who are the part of the Hindu nation are also get discriminated by the Indian government. Sikhs are not being given their full rights. They are considered as the minorities. In this case, Indian Supreme court must take some action on this for protecting the rights of Sikhs but SC is quiet on this matter.

Recent incident happened that a Karan singh, the waiter of a hotel was killed for delay in serving tandoori chicken to the customers. According to the Navghar police, the incident took place over a delay on part of the owner of a dhaba in Mulund (E) in serving a meal of tandoori chicken and eight rotis ordered by the BMC employees. The four assailants are drivers on the BMC's rolls, who had come to the Mulund dumping ground to drop off collected garbage.

This hows the discriminatory behavior of indian people with the Sikhs. Sikh must be given full rights so that they can live easily on their homeland. Indian Supreme court must take an action on this and give full surety to Sikhs that they will be given full rights.

NO END to Brutality by BSF at Indo-Bangla Border

Instead of arresting suspects and handing them over to the police for trial, Border Security Force soldiers are often accused of taking the law in their hands, says Syed Tashfin Chowdhury from Dhaka

Around the early hours of June 9, Joy Shikdar, 32, of Kalna Potapara village in North 24 Pargana district of West Bengal was amongst a group of Indian traders handing over cattle to Bangladeshi traders near the Angrail border camp of the Border Security Force.

After they were spotted by BSF personnel, the group started to flee.

Bangladesh's Border Guard camp Commander Humayun Kabir, in an interview to the Independent newspaper in Bangladesh, said that at one point, BSF shot at the fleeing traders. One of the bullets killed Shikdar.

Impoverished villagers, like Shikdar, on either side of the heavily populated 4,000-km long India-Bangladesh forder often cross over to generate income through smuggling and illegal sale of cattle. People from both sides of the border also move back and forth to visit relatives, buy supplies, and look for jobs. Others engage in petty and serious cross-border crimes.

Border forces on either side are mandated to address illegal activities, especially narcotics smuggling, human trafficking, and transporting fake currency and explosives. But instead of arresting suspects and handing them over to the police for trial, BSF soldiers are often accused of taking the law into their own hands.

A press release on June 12, issued by the Human Rights Watch, urged authorities in India  to "investigate fresh allegations of human rights violations" by the BSF along the Bangladesh border and "prosecute those found responsible".

Based on evidence documented and published by Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a Kolkata-based non government organisation, and Bangladesh's Odhikar, the release mentioned, "Despite assurances to the Bangladesh government and public orders to exercise restraint and end unlawful killings and attacks on suspected smugglers, the BSF is once again committing abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, and ill-treatment of both Indian and Bangladeshi border residents."

According to Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human rights organisation, between January and May 2012, 13 Bangladeshis have been killed, 46 injured and 24 abducted by BSF personnel from the India-Bangladesh border areas.

From January till May 2012, MASUM has documented five killings of Indian nationals, based on statements from witnesses and families of victims.

One such case is that of 21-year-old Babu Seikh. MASUM reported to the National Human Rights Commission that on April 22, soldiers from the BSF's 91st Battalion chased and shot Babu Seikh in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, when he was walking toward the marshland in the evening with friends. BSF members chased his friends as well and eventually fired at them "without warning".

"After a bullet hit Seikh, one of his companions saw the soldiers drag an injured Seikh to their camp nearby, where he later died in custody without access to medical attention," said MASUM.

"In another case, MASUM reported that on January 1, four Indian teenagers, accosted while smuggling cattle, jumped into a rivulet to avoid punishment. The BSF soldiers allegedly beat them when they tried to come out of the water. All four boys, severely injured because of the beatings, eventually drowned."

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at HRW, said on June 12, "The BSF has reverted to its previous tactic of unilaterally punishing suspects, defying orders from Delhi issued last year to exercise restraint and protect the right to life."

"But the central government is also responsible, since it has failed to hold perpetrators accountable," she added.

Last year, MASUM released a video showing BSF soldiers brutally beating a Bangladeshi national caught smuggling cattle in West Bengal state.

"Eight soldiers were suspended but no further information is available regarding their prosecution or punishment," said the release.

Odhikar documents other cases where Bangladesh nationals were shot dead or tortured after being held by BSF members for crossing the border. Odhikar has even documented cases of BSF personnel crossing the border into Bangladesh territory to commit similar crimes against innocent Bangladeshi nationals.

In December 2010, Human Rights Watch released a report on border atrocities, titled Trigger Happy: Excessive Use of Force by Indian Troops at the Bangladesh Border, which documented nearly 1,000 killings by the BSF over the last decade.

In January 2011, the Indian government assured Bangladeshi officials that it would order the BSF to exercise restraint and encourage the use of rubber bullets instead of more lethal ammunition.

The Bangladesh government, after initially failing to address the issue, finally began to call for the protection of its citizens.

In March 2011, at a joint border coordination conference, Major General Rafiqul Islam, chief of the Bangladesh Border Guards, called on the BSF to respect the right to life and said that individuals "must be treated as innocent unless and until he or she is proved to be a criminal or an offender."

BSF Director-General Raman Srivastava, in turn, promised "to maintain utmost restraint on the border" and also provide troops "with non-lethal weaponry."

"The BSF high-ups and the ministers in New Delhi are assuring non-lethal measures but the BSF personnel are going against these commitments," observed Nasiruddin Elan, director of Odhikar.

"This lack of coordination is not helping either of the two nations. By not bringing to book the BSF personnel at fault, the Indian government is providing impunity to the BSF to do as they please," he added.

The HRW observed that although the NHRC tries to provide justice by seeking responses when complaints are filed, the witnesses are threatened and intimidated into not providing their accounts.

As such, the HRW stressed that it knows of no cases in which BSF soldiers have been prosecuted for violations committed along the India-Bangladesh border.

"This includes a highly publicised case in which a 15-year-old Bangladeshi girl trapped in the wire fencing at the border was shot by the BSF in January 2011," said the HRW release.

Ganguly concluded, "Unless the government orders an independent investigation and ensures the prosecutions of those against whom credible evidence has found, such acts of brutality will continue."

Uttarakhand: Army Officer held on Rape Charges

Dehradun: Amid charges of land scams and low morale of Indian Army due to the ongoing schism in Military/ Political top brass, and Indian Army has been arrested on charges of repeatedly raping a woman officer of the same rank after falsely entering into a wedlock here. Uttarakhand Police arrested the Lt Colonel rank officer on Saturday night from Jhunjhunu area and he was being brought here, police sources said.
The woman officer, having the same Lt Colonel rank, has alleged in her complaint that the officer entered into a wedlock with her but later did not accept her as his wife.
In the FIR she alleged the officer raped her during the past few months in a military hospital.The woman also alleged that the officer was already married and did not tell his marital status to her.

INDIAN ARMY'S WAR WITHIN : CORRUPTION

After General VK Singh had taken over as Chief of Army Staff in 2010, a retired Lieutenant General, whose name figures in the Adarsh Society Housing scandal called on him at the office ostensibly to discuss developments in Kashmir. After the polite conversation, the retired intelligence chief asked him about the pending heavy vehicle contract and blatantly made it clear that there was Rs 50 crore for him in cold cash if the Rs 400 crore deal was awarded to an East European manufacturer instead of Indo-Russian joint venture. The retired general was immediately escorted out of the Chief’s office and was declared persona non grata. The ex-serviceman was not the first or the last of his kind as greed seems to be good for Army’s top brass.

On Tuesday, the CBI registered a case against a former Army Vice Chief Lt General Noble Thamburaj for allegedly conspiring with a builder Kalpataru over a select piece of Pune Cantonment defence land. One of the companies of the same builder is also under the CBI scanner for illegally obtaining prime defence land in Kandivili in Mumbai with the support of former minister of defence production Rao Inderjit Singh and former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor. The CBI has already registered a preliminary inquiry into the Kandivili land deal last month and moving towards registering a proper case.

After Mumbai’s Adarsh Housing scandal, involving two former Army chiefs and one former Navy chief among others, and Sukhna land scandal, which led to court martial and dismissal of former military secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, these two illegal land deals have taken the Army’s morale to a new low. From the unsavoury sagas of Ketchup Colonel, Booze Brigadier and Ration General, it becomes quite evident that Indian military is going through marked deterioration of human resource and character.

To top it all, there is growing politicisation of the Indian military for promotions, lucrative assignments and post-retirement jobs. The rot within the Indian defence establishment is clearly evident from the retired officers who liaison for defence contractors at golf courses and bars in Lutyen’s Delhi to ex-generals and admirals being employed by hardware dealers for lobbying in South Block.

In public perception the image of an Army officer is hardly different from that of an untrustworthy police officer. It is evident from these scandals that significant section within Army is out to make a quick buck and would do anything for few pieces of silver. This mindset goes right to the top, as otherwise, how one justifies that no less than five top generals including Kapoor and Thamburaj were declared low medical category for disability pension and IT rebates. Before the health of Indian Army deteriorates further, it is time that the UPA government intervened to stem the rot.

Fortunately, South Block has defence minister AK Antony and Army Chief Gen V K Singh at the helm of affairs at this crucial juncture. Both are above board integrity wise and cannot stand corruption. While swift action and stringent punishment act as a strong deterrent, it is time that the military mounted strong vigilance on its men and started the weeding out process at an early stage.

The promotions and postings process must be made totally transparent through technology with any interference from ruling party politicians or influential arms dealers. Promotion should be based on merit and not seniority as is the case now. Postings to big cities should be rotated fast so that an officer does not develop vested interest. There should be consolidation of defence lands sprawling all over the country with land records updated so that unscrupulous Army officers cannot illegally pass it on to builders.

While it is impossible to isolate or insulate military personnel from increasingly money oriented Indian society, it is important that military ethos is maintained or professionalism will be hit hard in the services. It is important to drive home the fact that the government takes special care of the armed forces through dedicated hospitals, housing, primary and secondary education and recreation facilities.

The average facilities provided to an Army Colonel, equivalent to a director level officer of central government, are far above as compared to his or her government counterparts. Same holds true for higher ranks. Yet there is increasing tendency within the armed forces to get attracted to money through illegal means or hardware deal making. The prevention exercise has to start from the top as the trooper on the border or the Line of Control looks towards the top brass as idols. Otherwise, all the respect won by those armed forces personnel who gave up their lives will be lost and Indian borders will be at peril.

 Reference

Does General Kapoor own five houses?

Chandigarh: Deepak Kapoor says he didn't know that the massively-discounted flat he was allotted in a high-rise in Mumbai was meant for war widows and veterans. That could be construed as an oddity - Kapoor did after all serve as Army Chief.

He said last week that he would surrender his flat in Adarsh Society - a building in Mumbai's expensive Colaba area that is blowing the lid off a conspiracy between politicians, bureaucrats and senior Army officers to gift housing to themselves at huge bargains.

The retired General won't be homeless.  He has been accused of owning a total of six properties in Mumbai, Gurgaon and Delhi's Dwarka district. In August, Ambica Banerjee, who is an MP of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, wrote to the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, asking how the General afforded these assets. Sources in the Defence Ministry say Kapoor, in a letter to Defence Minister AK Antony, has said he welcomes a formal investigation.

Banerjee's formal letter of complaint states that in addition to the now-returned Adarsh flat, Kapoor owns a flat in Dwarka (a Delhi suburb), three houses in Gurgaon, and a penthouse in Lokhandwala in Mumbai.

There's more.  Kapoor was allotted a plot in Gurgaon by the Haryana government in June 2009. Kapoor paid merely Rs. 36 lakh for it - because Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda carved it out of his preferential quota - which allows the Chief Minister to reward residents who have distinguished themselves through their service. 

The rules state that those who are awarded these plots cannot sell them for five years. But six months after he was given his land, Kapoor wanted to sell  - the plot by now was worth Rs. 1.5 crore. The Haryana government reportedly refused to permit this.

However, Kapoor told NDTV that he does not  own any property other than the two-bedroom Adarsh Society flat that he has returned and the Gurgaon plot given to him by Hooda.

POTA - A major Contributer in illegitimate Abductions in India

It came as a shock to the citizens of the country that in spite of the tall claims of not having implemented the draconian POTA in Bihar , the government, administration and police in the state have been using POTA to imprison and victimize political activists and agrarian poor. This left ample scope for the rich and the powerful to escape while allowing the police and administration to crackdown upon the asserting poor and those organising them.
Since the NDA government introduced POTA through an unprecedented joint session of the parliament, several political parties have expressed their opinion against POTA. Though no action has been taken as yet, the UPA government after assuming power has announced the withdrawal of POTA. However this also been announced prospectively and not with retrospective effect as has been the demand of dozens of civil liberty organisation and human rights groups who have pointed out violations in case after case. The fate of thousands of innocents across the country, who have been booked under POTA, continues to hang in uncertainty, particularly in the light of the fate of the TADA prisoners of Bihar, who found no justice even after the law that they had been booked under had long lapsed, since the cases against them were never withdrawn.

POTA act of India and its Misuse

When the Gujarat government withdrew Poto from the Godhra case, the Opposition parties understandably seized it as an official admission that the new terrorist law, like the earlier one, is being misused to target the minorities. All the more so because this decision followed an expose in The Indian Express on the selective application of Poto: while the Godhra suspects were booked under Poto, the state had no compunction about not applying that law to any of the accused involved in the so-called Hindu backlash. The state, of course, never actually admitted the selective use of Poto. Instead, it sought to make the withdrawal of terrorism allegations from the Godhra case appear as innocuous as possible. It claimed that the Godhra police backtracked purely on the advocate general’s advice that Poto provisions could not be invoked without first appointing the various regulatory authorities envisaged by that law.
As a corollary, the Narendra Modi government clarified that once those authorities are in place, the police may reinvoke Poto (now Pota) in the Godhra case. To be sure, this is not an unlikely scenario because the Godhra tragedy, in which over 50 Hindus were roasted alive in a train, does bear the appearance of a terrorist attack. But so do some of the retaliatory attacks on Muslims around Gujarat. Yet, given the communal bias it displayed over the last one month, can you even begin to imagine that the Modi government will make no distinction between the Hindu miscreants and their Muslim counterparts? And this is not only because of the Hindutva ideology of the BJP or the Sangh parivar. Let us not forget that the Congress governments of the past had also failed to be even-handed in applying Pota’s predecessor TADA in cases involving Hindu-Muslim conflicts.
It can be argued that the Congress party has its own unsavoury record of communal misdeeds. But this is not an analysis of the secular credentials of our political parties. The attempt here is to show that if TADA or Pota has a record of being used in a discriminatory manner, it is not necessarily because the law is consciously misused or abused. There is an inherent bias in the way terrorism is defined or, rather, interpreted. And that is what makes Muslims more vulnerable than Hindus to the rigours of the terrorist law irrespective of the party in power.
Recall December 6, 1992, and its aftermath. If, in Modi’s memorable words, Gujarat was a reaction to Godhra, the Bombay blasts were a reaction to the Babri Masjid demolition. But the parallel ends there. In fact, from the viewpoint of the terrorist law, the violence in Godhra and Gujarat are a reversal of the events of 1992-93. The BJP government regards the ‘action’ in Godhra as an instance of terrorism while the ‘reaction’ around Gujarat has been passed off as routine cases of rioting, looting and murder. In contrast, the Congress rulers passed off the ‘action’ in Ayodhya as a case of vandalism and other such offences under the ordinary law while the ‘reaction’ in Bombay was regarded as an instance of terrorism. It may be noted that for invoking the terrorist law, it did not matter whether the event concerned was an ‘action’ or a ‘reaction’. It also did not matter whether the miscreants used explosives or inflammable substances. After all, much like the way the mob in Godhra poured fuel and lit fire to the bogies carrying kar sevaks from Ayodhya, the miscreants in Ahmedabad and other places of Gujarat used all sorts of lethal weapons and hazardous materials to kill over 700 Muslims. Let’s face it. All that seemed to decide whether an offence constituted terrorism was the religion of the accused persons. As a result, in the events of 2002 as well as 1992-93, those booked under the terrorist law were predominantly Muslims while those booked under the ordinary law were predominantly Hindus.

The bias in the interpretation of the law becomes all the more evident from the long-winded definition of the expression ‘terrorist act’. Pota has been touted an improvement on TADA and one of the claimed reforms is that the definition of ‘terrorist act’ has been made sharper and therefore less prone to abuse. So, even if we go by the narrower definition of Pota, the Babri Masjid demolition, the underlying cause of the recent disturbances, should have been dealt with as a terrorist act. The presence of top BJP leaders in Ayodhya on the fateful day does not detract from the terrorist nature of the demolition. It fits the definition of Pota as there is ample scope to contend that the mosque was demolished with intent ‘‘to strike terror in the people or any section of the people’’. That the kar sevaks did not use bombs or such devastating methods does not matter because Pota says the terrorist act against a person or property could have been committed ‘‘by any other means whatsoever’’. Yet, the failure to book the kar sevaks and their instigators under TADA despite its wider definition never became an issue. The problem then is not just the misuse of the law but its selective use.

Babbar Khalsa International's Revival- A Solace for Sikhs

NEW DELHI: The arrest of two operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) has confirmed what Delhi Police have been suspecting for a while now -- that the Punjab-based freedom fighter group is on the lookout for a major strike to announce its revival.

"Delhi Police arrested two Babbar Khalsa operatives who were planning to assassinate some political leaders who have a list of corruption scandals under there belt. We are investigating to confirm how many people are working with the group," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ashok Chand told IANS.

Four Sacred Babbar Khalsa activists among Five Acquitted

Rupnagar(Punjab), Jan 5 (PTI) A local court today acquitted five persons, including four former activists of banned terror outfit Babbar Khalsa in a case related to unlawful activities, illegal possession of explosives and fire arms. The additional sessions judge Manjot Kaur acquitted Daljit Singh Bittu, president of Akali Dal(Panch Pardhani) and four others activists of Babbar Khalsa. However, the court found one person, who was also arrested in this connection, guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison. A case was registered here on November 15, 2009, against seven persons under Unlawful Activities Act, Arms Act, Explosives Act and various sections of the IPC and they were arrested. Babbar Khalsa activists Harminder Singh Cherrian, Balwinder Singh Dekwala, Baljit Singh Bhau, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, Buta Singh and Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist Daya Singh Lahoria were arrested in the connection. However, Lahoria was acquitted by a court few months back. After completion of the trial against the remaining six accused, the court today acquitted Daljit Singh Bittu, Baljit Singh Bhau, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, Buta Singh, Balwinder Singh Dekwala. The court sentenced Harminder Singh Cherrian to three years imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 5000 on him.

Militant Sikh Organizations or Indian RAW Proxies ??

FATEHGARH SAHIB (August 30, 2011)–Simranjit Singh Mann, President of Shiromani Akali Dal (A) sent ripples through Panthik circles when he errantly labeled the Sikh martyrs of the Khalistan movement ‘agents’ of the Indian Government. Mann specifically pointed fingers at the well established Jeevay Khalistan as well as Bhai Sohan Singh’s Panthik Committee while speaking to the press at Channanwal when he said that these organizations were planted by the Indian Government.

Mann’s statement about  Jeevay Khalistan and other militant groups being agents of the Indian Government can impact his votes in the elections. Though the groups pin-pointed by Mann remain banned and blacklisted in India, they have wide support in foreign countries. Martyrs of  Jeevay Khalistan and other pro-Khalistan organizations are recognized and cherished by Sikhs living in Western countries. Their portraits adorn gurdwara langar halls and are on display at nagar kirtans while teenagers blast dharmic music that boasts of their accomplishments.

Mann has continued to lose support from pro-Gurmat minded Sikhs in past years. His visit to ‘Dera Sachkhand Angeetha Sahib’ and paying obeisance to self-styled Sadh Balwant Sehorra caused a lot of controversy–and for that, even Mann had to apologize publicly to the Sikh Sangat. Perhaps it is due to this reason that Mann has not gained much success in the past decade. At one time Mann enjoyed respect and esteem in Panthik circles and his organization, the SAD (A), was well respected at a large scale.

 He stated that his party is not aligning with either Congress or the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) as both organizations are working against the propagation of the Sikh religion. He also lashed out against Damdami Taksal, Sant Samaj, Dal Khalsa, Delhi Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee, Mehta Chawla and other organizations and leaders for contesting the elections with the aid of anti-Sikh organizations.

Khalistan Hero : Babbar Khalsa

Bharati (aka Indian) media stories are reporting that various Bharati agencies have noticed a huge rise in Babbar Khalsa activities in Sikh portion of Indian Punjab. Obviously a leaf falls in Bharat and Delhi blames Pakistan. This time too, Delhi is trying to link the Sikh militants with Islamabad–even though no such link exists.

Bharati Sikhs feel deeply alienated from Delhi, and have been struggling for decades for a country of their own. The Sikh diaspora, specially in Canada is very vocal about independence.

Bharat ruthlessly put down a rebellion, which ended up in the partial destruction of Sikhism’s holiest shrine in Amritsar, known as the Golden Temple. After the massacre of Sikhs in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi assassination, the Khalsas ahve been active even though the large portion of their militants were arrested and extra-judicially murdered.

Police busted a module of Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa International, which was planning to trigger bomb blast in the national capital and Himachal Pradesh, by arresting three members of the group.

While Purushotam Singh alias Bunty, Daljit Singh and Talvinder Singh were arrested by Mohali police on Friday night, two others, including Harinder Singh who is wanted in the 2007 blast at a theatre in Ludhiana, managed to escape.

A reward of Rs 5 lakh has been announced by the police on information leading to the arrest of Harinder who had returned to India last month after fleeing to Pakistan after the Ludhiana blast.

Sources said Harinder had shifted his base to Greece from where he had come to India to carry out the blast in the national capital and Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh.

Police also announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh on Nirmal Singh who too had managed to escape. Police seized a pistol, some ammunition and cash totalling to about Rs one lakh from the three arrested.

Educational Reasons underpin Khalistan Movement

Education system of India is very brainwashing and backward. Instead of appreciating the true heroes the government has decided to rewrite the history with fake heroes from Hinduism. These rewritten fake history books have become the foundation of their education system.

From teachers to students everyone openly crack jokes at Sikh students. In Haryana it is normal for teachers to begin their classes with a Sikh joke. Students always bully Sikh students. In Hindu institutions such as DAV College in Amritsar and other Hindu schools Sikh students always become the target of bullying, jokes and even insulting of the turban. In Madhaya Pradesh it is not unusual for a Sikh student to return home bleeding through his nose and mouth and with his turban in his hand. This is the social life of our future generations. Under these circumstances it is normal for Sikh boys to cut their hair and leave the beautiful path of the Sikh Gurus.

In all history books, Sikhs cover only few pages including brief introduction of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s mission and battles of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. First Amrit Sanchaar of 1699 is totally twisted around and students are taught that Guru Ji beheaded goats instead of real humans. Sikhism is taught as another sect of Hinduism. During the examinations students are asked Hindu-Sikh mixed questions such as “which varna was Guru Gobind Singh born in” and “why did the Guru created Khalsa” to which the acceptable answer would be “to save Hinduism”.

When I was in 8^th grade in Amritsar, I wrote an essay on Guru Gobind Singh Ji during my history exam in which I wrote many stories of Guru Ji that were not included in the books taught in the classroom. My teacher crossed out my entire essay and gave me no points. When I asked her the reason she said I had made up these stories. I provided the reference and name of book from which I had learned the stories but teacher did not accept it. According to her, only the material in the history book prescribed by the school was acceptable. This is just one example. Many other Sikh students have faced similar problems. It is all part of the Indian education system that is preventing the Sikh students from learning the truth about their faith. Students are being brainwashed in thinking that their separate faith and identity is just another form of Hinduism.

When the topic of India’s independence is taught only Hindu fighters are mentioned. Some Sikhs like Bhai Gurdit Singh of Kamagatamaru is mentioned. Other freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, and Udham Singh are shown as clean shaven wearing hats. Sikh identity is hardly taught in books or shown in the television. Main emphasis is put on Gandhi and his failed non-violence theories. Anti-Sikh leaders like Nehru, and Patel are depicted as the saviors of India. Subash Chandar is depicted as the only Hindu raising an army of Indians to fight the British. The true fact is that it was Mohan Singh who started the organization and trained the army. Not only that, 60% of the army was Sikhs. When Mohan Singh was training the army, Subhash Chandra was in Germany begging Hitler to invade India. Why are these facts being ignored by Indians? The truth is not being taught simply because they want to convince Sikh students that their contribution to freedom fight is almost negligible and they should pay their respect to Gandhi for granting them freedom. Sikhs are ignored in the history books. Sikhism is being Hinduized, Sikh freedom fighters are ignored, and false literature on Sikh faith is being taught to Sikh children. If this continues then in next ten years or so Sikhs will forget about their separate identity and their glorious history. They will start to consider themselves inseparable from Hindus.

Indian law has granted more rights to low caste people. Low caste people have reserve seats in higher institutions. Now, how is the caste of a person determined? It is very simple. When parents take their young kids to enroll in schools their last name or caste name is asked. Education is cheaper for low caste people. Sikhs who don’t believe in caste system because it is against the principles of Sikhism are forced to go back to the caste system. Many poor Sikhs choose a low caste name as their own so that their children will get special benefits in schools and higher institutions. Some Sikhs choose not to use any caste name whatsoever. Once students graduate from high schools and go to colleges or universities they face more problems. If a student with no or high caste name has 90% marks compared to a low caste student with 40% marks then according to the law low caste person is accepted. Low caste students have reserve seats and get priorities for many reasons. The first reason would be to keep them in the Hindu fold so that they don’t convert to Sikh religion, Islam or Christianity. If Brahmin government runs the country in old fashion way then obviously low caste shudras will not get equal rights and thus would want to convert to some other religion that preaches equality. When low caste people have more rights they don’t see the point in converting to Sikhism because of the fear of losing their rights.

The second reason for this would be to encourage the practice of caste system in the Sikh community. This way Sikhs are forced to stay in caste system. Sikh students with exceptional skills and ambitions are discouraged which further declines the future of the country. Many smart Sikh students are denied from higher education because of the absurd education system. If they do get accepted they have to pay heavy prices to get into their chosen career path. Many poor students quit school and seek other physical work to fulfill their family needs. The future generations of Sikhs are not being educated which only endangers Sikhs. Without any proper education what are the chances of a person to succeed in a professional career if he has any?

Even if some rich Sikhs manage to get education and become successful engineers or doctors they are not offered any good jobs. Promotions are given to non-Sikhs. It is the policy of the government to keep Sikhs away from high ranking jobs and prevent them from becoming successful. The highest official is always a Hindu. The evaluation reports are falsely filled out for the purpose of keeping Sikhs in low ranking jobs. In every field Sikhs are being held back. This has made Sikhs turn their attention to foreign countries to get better jobs so they can have better lives. A country which we call our own does not provide us with better future. Is India really our country? I don’t think so.

Indian government wants to make Sikhs illiterate because only educated people think about better future and freedom and they are the ones responsible for brining people into the freedom movements. Before India gained independence Punjab was the second in educational level but it is now at fifth level because of corrupt Indian government. Kerla being the first then followed by Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Gurjart and then Punjab. Another thing I would like to mention is that in Sri Lanka 89.68% adult people are educated, 93.6% in Thailand, 80% in China and only 52.2% in India. India has the lowest percentage in education but still surviving. Khalistan will be in much better position compared to India.

Modern Youth

The Universities and Colleges have become a major place where drugs and alcohol are distributed in large amounts. The main targets are Sikh students. I know many international students from Punjab. Almost all of them smoke and drink but on the other hand Hindu students from Punjab neither smoke nor drink. Starting from higher institutions these drugs have found their way into high and junior high schools. Students learn more about how to become a better drug addict than how to become a better person. Eating iodex sandwiches, tails of lizards, heroin, cocaine and many other medicines are being used by the youth as pleasures. According to these drug addicts they are willing to steal and even kill to buy these drugs. Rather than investing money in some business career the youth is wasting it all in drugs. Dating, abortion and sex rate is higher than ever in Punjab. There are more bars and clubs in Punjab than grocery shops. Female infertility is widely being practiced by the public. Female population has declined by a large scale in last few years. Would these events be taking place if the government was our own? The answer is No.

Many young Sikhs are dying due to their addiction. Sikhi is disappearing in villages and cities throughout Punjab. In village Chabhal (the main center of freedom movement) there are only few families that have Amritdhari members. Rest of the Sikh youth has cut hair and most of them are into drugs. It is sad to see that a village that produced many famous Sikh freedom fighters is now a center of drug distribution. City Ghanoopur (near Khalsa College, Amritsar) has about five Amritdharis less than age of 30. Sikhi is disappearing from the main Sikh centers such as Amritsar and Gurdaspur.  

Our future generations lack discipline, pride in their history and have no hope for better future. Drug abuse by the Sikh youth is not only impacting the lives of Sikhs living in Punjab but also living aboard. Many Sikhs living aboard are marrying their daughters to Hindus because they do not want to have any relationship with drug addicts. Even if Sikhs chose to marry with Sikhs the preference is given to the same caste. Look at any matrimonial site or newspapers, the ads are full of asking for jatt, kamboj, khatri, ramgharia etc type of Sikh. This is the influence of Hindu caste system. The majority has always influenced the minority groups and Sikhs will have to deal with it as long as they are living as Indians. Bollywood movies have brainwashed girls by portraying clean shaven men to be more attractive and the dream boys of every woman. The preference of clean shaven men further encourages Sikh boys to cut their hair and drives them away from Sikh way of life. An Amritdhari Sikh is looked upon as too religious or fundamentalist. A religious person is always assumed to be a ragi or preacher who took Amrit just to make a living.

Sikh guys are not the only ones who have to live the hard life. It is equally challenging for girls as well. There are many girls who wear dastaar (turban). Though they are religious but their social life is not too good because the cruel society is always looking for ways to discourage them. Girls with turban are considered “unattractive” by their family members. Their own family members discourage them from not wearing turbans because they will not be able to find a suitable husband. It is hard enough for them to get accepted in the society as it is and the last thing they need is discouragement from their own families. Do they actually think that all Sikhs have died and there is no one left who loves Sikhi and prefers to get married with someone who wears turban rather than someone who spends more time in beauty salons than at home meditating?

The Hindu government has spent billions of rupees in setting up the corrupt education system that would mislead the Sikh youth into thinking Sikhi as another sect of Hinduism. Hindu organizations are trying to destroy our future generations by keeping them busy in drugs and alcohol. Success of a community depends on its future generations. If there are no educated future generations of Sikhs then the future of Sikh nation is not looking very good. In next few decades it will be very hard to tell if Sikhs used to exist in Punjab. Indian media has played its role in misrepresenting and insulting the Sikh image on national level. Indian newspapers have always printed false information on Sikhs and called them “terrorists”. Indian channels have done their work in leading Sikh youth away from Sikhi. By preaching Hindu philosophy and caste system many uneducated Sikh families have started practicing Hindu traditions and celebrating Hindu festivals. Idol worship of the Gurus is becoming normal in every Sikh family of Punjab. If a country’s government, media, newspapers, channels, and society is hostile to another community it is a clear sign that the latter does not belong there and is therefore unwelcome. This is what is happening to Sikhs in India.

These problems created by the Indian government are evident enough to convince any Sikh that Sikhs deserve a separate country where they can teach their future generations the true version of glorious Sikh history, Punjabi language, Sikh culture and true Sikh way of life taught by the Sikh Gurus. Without Khalistan Sikhs will always be treated as second class citizens in India. Without a Sikh government coming into power the Indian government will keep spending billions of rupees to continue its anti-Sikh activities. A religion cannot survive without sovereignty. Sikhs need religious sovereignty as well as political power to preserve their distinct appearance. Only Khalistan’s government can take action against the distribution of drugs and alcohol. As long as India has control over Punjab the education system will not change and Sikhs will continue to see the decline of their future generation going away from Sikhi and more towards Hinduism.

Our land and our minds need to be free. A person may give up all his freedoms but as long as he gets to keep his freedom of speech he can save himself. With free speech we can represent ourselves and speak for our rights. With free speech we can educate our people and the youth to come back in the fold of Sikhism. With free speech we can preach our religion and inspire others to join us in the freedom struggle to conquest our land. In India we do not have this freedom. Anyone who speaks for the cause of Sikhs is killed. People are living in a trapped world of Brahmins where they have to live as “long haired Hindus”, do what the government tells them to do, and keep quiet after seeing their sons getting killed. It is up to Sikhs to decide whether they want to live in India by giving up their every single right or they want to have better lives by forming their own state. A state where the government will be lot less corrupted, where the bribes will not a play any role in getting jobs, where religion will not be a factor in succeeding in life, where everyone can enjoy the freedom to practice their religion, where everyone can speak for the right cause, where the youth is encouraged and helped by the government to pursue their education further, where police will not break into anyone’s house and kill innocent minorities, where criminals will be justly punished for their crimes, where Sikhs will see Sikhi flourishing and spreading in every corner of Punjab, and most of all where people get the feeling that they belong there and can call it their home. Khalistan, a Sikh state, ensures all of this. Do you want slavery or independence? The choice is yours. Let’s unite together and work for the betterment of ourselves and our future generations. Let’s free our people, our country and our Punjab, the land where we belong.