[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EIGHT ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIKH STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS

                                 ______


                            HON. DAN BURTON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 1995

  Mr. BURTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the urgent human 
rights situation in Punjab. As I have said many times on this floor, 
The Indian government and Indian armed forces have repeatedly trampled 
on the human rights of the Sikh majority in this northern province.
  The State Department has reported that between 1991 and 1993, the 
Indian government paid 41,000 cash bounties to policemen for extra 
judicial killings of Sikh suspects. Human Rights Watch issued a report 
in 1994 quoting a Punjab police officer as saying that 4,000 to 5,000 
Sikhs were tortured at his police station alone. Asia Watch said in one 
of its many reports on the appalling situation in Punjab that virtually 
every Sikh being held in prison is tortured.
  The Indian government's current reign of terror dates back to the 
attack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984. That summer, Indian 
security forces launched a blistering assault on this holiest of Sikh 
shrines, along with 38 other Sikh temples, killing an estimated 20,000 
Sikhs.
  The brutal atrocities committed against the Sikh people led to a 
strong independence movement throughout Punjab. On October 7, 1987, the 
five-member Panthic Committee, appointed by all of the major SIKH 
resistance groups, declared their intention to create an independent 
Sikh homeland by the name of Khalistan, and created a governing body 
know as the Council of Khalistan. This October marks the eight 
anniversary of that declaration.
  The President of the Council of Khalistan, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, 
resides in Washington DC, and has been a tireless advocate of human 
rights and self determination for the Sikhs. Dr. Aulakh has worked with 
great determination over the last eight years to inform Members of 
Congress and other government officials of the terrible atrocities 
being committed against the Sikh people.
  The human rights situation has not improved over the last eight 
years, if anything, it has gotten worse. Earlier this month, an 
esteemed human rights activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra, was abducted from 
his home after having publicized the murder and cremation of thousands 
of Sikhs by Indian security forces. Mr. Khalra is reportedly being 
tortured in prison. Just this week, over 150 of the most distinguished 
Sikh leaders held a peaceful protest in front of the Governor's mansion 
to protest Mr. Khalra's detention. All were arrested and harassed.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on the Indian government in Punjab to begin to 
respect the basic and fundamental human rights that all human beings 
deserve--life, liberty, justice and self-determination. It is time for 
the reign of terror to end. I congratulate Dr. Aulakh and him many 
colleagues on their dedication and persistence over the last eight 
years. On this eight anniversary of the declaration of Khalistan, I 
congratulate all of the Sikh people who have peacefully and quietly 
stood up for their rights under an oppressive system. My thoughts and 
prayers are with the families whose sons and daughters have disappeared 
or been tortured or murdered.

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