[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 83 (Thursday, May 18, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1072-E1073]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    INDIA SHOULD RELEASE SIKH LEADER

                                 ______


                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 1995
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to again speak about 
the human rights situation in India, which is deplorable. I want to 
speak about two issues today. The first is the destruction of a 
centuries-old mosque in Kashmir. The second is the continued 
imprisonment of Sikh leader Simranjit Singh Mann.
  The half-a-million Indian security forces in the valley of Kashmir 
have for years run rampant over the civilian population there. They 
have gang-raped women. They have tortured and murdered political 
prisoners. They have shot indiscriminately into civilian crowds, and 
they have burned entire villages into the ground.
  Just last week, in the town of Charar-e-Sharies, the Indian military, 
with no regard for the safety of civilians, launched an attack that 
resulted in the burning of hundreds of homes and the gutting of a 
centuries-old walnut-wood mosque, one of the most famous religious 
sites in Kashmir. The Indian Government, time and time again, has shown 
absolute disregard for basic standards of human rights in Kashmir, 
Punjab, and other areas. India must be held to account for the crimes 
that have been committed against the Muslims of Kashmir, including the 
destruction of the sacred shrine of Charar-e-Sharies. The Indian 
Government's utter disregard for Moslem mosques and other holy places 
is shocking and must not be swept under the rug.
  The Indian Government must also be held to account for the horrible 
human rights abuses committed against the Sikhs in Punjab and the 
Christians of Nagaland. Few people know about what is happening in 
those areas because the government will not allow the media or human 
rights groups into those areas.
  Indian paramilitary forces in Punjab are responsible for thousands of 
cases of well-documented disappearances and extrajudicial killings. 
Thousands of Sikhs are held in prisons throughout Punjab, and human 
rights groups have reported that virtually all Sikhs held in prison are 
routinely tortured.
  Four months ago, I came to the House floor to talk about the 
detention of Sikh leader Simranjit Singh Mann. Mr. Mann is a former 
member of Parliament and probably the most prominent of all the Sikh 
leaders. He has been a forceful, but peaceful, advocate of independence 
for a Sikh homeland called Khalistan. Mr. Mann was arrested in January 
after addressing a gathering of thousands and speaking out 
[[Page E1073]] for freedom and democracy for the Sikh people. It was 
the most recent of dozens of times Mr. Mann has been arrested for 
peacefully expressing his political views. He was arrested and held 
without trial for 5 years in 1984. He was the target of an 
assassination attempt in 1993. He has been a victim of constant 
harassment by the Indian Government, and is once again a political 
prisoner who has been in detention in a windowless cell for the last 4 
months.
  Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that the Indian Government release Mr. 
Mann immediately and allow him to return to his family. The government 
has no right to put people in prison because it doesn't like their 
political views. I am enclosing for the record a chronology of the 
instances in which this distinguished man has been imprisoned and 
harassed by the Indian Government. The government of India must stop 
the harassment of people with whom it disagrees. It must stop the 
lawless activities of its security forces in Punjab and Kashmir. The 
abuses that the Indian security forces are committing will not snuff 
out the movement for an independent Khalistan among the Sikhs. They 
will only add fuel to the fire. India must improve its human rights 
record if it truly wants to be recognized as a lawful and democratic 
nation.
                 Arrest Record of Simranjit Singh Mann

       Name: Simranjit Singh Mann.
       Father's Name: Sarda Joginder Singh Mann.
       Status: Former President of the Shiromani Akali Dai (Sikh 
     Political Party). Ex-Member of Parliament. Present Member of 
     Ad-hoc Committee, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar).
       1. Nov. 29, 1984, arrested at Jogbani (Bihar State).
       2. Dec. 4, 1984, sent to Bharatpur jail (Rajasthan) under 
     different charges.
       3. Dec. 10, 1984, released and rearrested by Maharasthra 
     police.
       4. Nov 24, 1989, arrested in Chandigarh.
       5. Feb. 26, 1990, arrested in Bathinda, Punjab.
       6. March 7, 1990, arrested in Nathu Ke Burj (District 
     Amritsar).
       7. Mar. 11, 1990, detained in Amritsar.
       8. Jan. 26, 1990, detained in Jammu and Kashmir.
       9. Mar. 6, 1991, detained in Usma village (District 
     Amritsar).
       10. Mar. 7, 1991, detained in Amritsar.
       11. Mar. 11, 1991, detained in Jalandhar.
       12. Jun 2, 1991 detained at Taran Taran (District 
     Amritsar).
       13. Jun 6, 1991, detained at Gurdwara Manji Sahib (District 
     Amritsar).
       14. June 26, 1991, detained at Sanga Village (District 
     Amritsar).
       15. Nov. 1991, arrested at Gaziabad, detained in Fatehgarh 
     (Uttar Pradesh).
       16. Jan. 28, 1992, detained near Moga (District Faridkot).
       17. Jan. 30, 1992 detained at Rajpura (District Patiala).
       18. Feb. 1992, arrested and kept in Nidampur Sub jail 
     (District Sangrur).
       19. Apr. 22, 1992, arrested in New Delhi.
       20. Jun 25, 1992, arrested in Behla (District Amritsar).
       21. Aug. 5, 1992, arrested in Tarn Taran (District 
     Amritsar).
       22. Aug. 16, 1993, detained in Amloh (District Patiala).
       23. Aug. 27, 1992, arrested in Ludhiana.
       24. Sep. 11, 1992, arrested in Chhapar District Ludhiana
       25. Oct. 18, 1992, detained in Amritsar.
       26. Dec. 17, 1992, detained at Quilla S. Harnam Singh 
     (District Fatehgarh Sahib).
       27. Jan. 6, 1993, arrested in Kaunke (District Ludhiana).
       28. No. 1, 1993, arrested in Amritsar.
       29. Dec. 15, 1993, arrested at Gurdwara Pariwar Vichhora 
     Sahib (District Ropar).
       30. Jan. 5, 1995, arrested at village Bassi Pathana (Dist. 
     Fatehgarh Sahib).
     

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