[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 195 (Friday, December 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2326-E2327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PRESIDENT CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST DETAINED WITHOUT TRIAL 
                                IN INDIA

                                 ______


                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 1995

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, in October, 65 Members of 
Congress from both parties wrote to the President of India, P.V. 
Narasimha Rao, to protest the detention of Sikh human rights activist 
Jaswant Singh Khalra.
  Mr. Khalra was arrested for publishing information about the 
extensive human rights abuses going on in Punjab. Mr. Khalra had 
published information exposing the Indian police practice of arresting 
young Sikh men, torturing and murdering them, then declaring them 
unidentified and cremating their bodies to cover up their abuses. 
According to Mr. Khalra, 25,000 young Sikh men have disappeared in this 
fashion.
  A copy of our letter was sent to President Clinton, who recently 
responded. In his letter, he stated that, ``I too am concerned'' by 
this incident. I am enclosing a copy of the President's letter, along 
with our initial letter and a newspaper article, for the record. As my 
colleagues will see, the President reported that 

[[Page E 2327]]
our Ambassador in India has raised this issue with ``high-ranking 
Indian officials,'' and that he will continue to do so.
  Mr. Speaker, the human rights abuses--the murders, the rapes, the 
torture--that are being committed against the Sikh people are truly 
horrible. Our State Department, our Ambassador, and the President must 
continue to press the Indian Government on this issue. Congress must be 
involved as well. It is time for Congress to pass legislation 
conditioning aid to India on improving its human rights record in 
Punjab, in Kashmir, and in other areas. If we continue to confront the 
Indian Government on this issue, we can force them to stop the abuses 
and allow human rights, democracy and freedom to flourish.

                                              The White House,

                                Washington, DC, November 15, 1995.
     Hon. Dan Burton,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Burton: Thank you for sharing with me 
     your recent letter to Prime Minister Rao of India regarding 
     the situation in Punjab.
       I too am concerned by the reports regarding Jaswant Singh 
     Khalra. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi has already made 
     inquiries into these allegations with various Indian 
     government agencies,and our Ambassador to New Delhi, Frank 
     Wisner, has raised the issue with high-ranking Indian 
     officials. We will continue these efforts. I appreciate your 
     interest and concern on this issue.
       With best wishes and warm regards.
           Sincerely,
     Bill Clinton.
                                                                    ____


             [From the Council of Khalistan, Nov. 28, 1995]

                          Clinton Checks India

                           (By James Mornson)

       President Clinton has taken a personal interest in the fate 
     of an Indian human rights activist held by the government in 
     New Delhi.
       Following a letter-writing campaign from 65 members of 
     Congress, Mr. Clinton says his envoy to India has made 
     inquiries into the fate of Jaswant Singh Khalra.
       U.S. Ambassador Frank Wisner has made it known in New Delhi 
     that Washington is watching.
       ``I, too, am concerned by the reports regarding Jaswant 
     Singh Khalra,'' Mr. Clinton wrote this month to Rep. Gary A. 
     Condit.
       The California Democrat organized the congressional letter 
     to Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, a copy of which 
     was sent to the White House.
       Mr. Condit cited an Amnesty International bulletin of Sept. 
     7 that accused Indian police of abducting Mr. Khalra for 
     investigating accusations that police in Punjab murdered 
     thousands of Sikh men.
       ``The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi has already made inquiries 
     into these allegations with various Indian government 
     agencies, and Ambassador Wisner has raised the issue with 
     high-ranking Indian officials,'' Mr. Clinton wrote.
       ``We will continue these efforts.''
       Mr. Condit's letter to the Indian prime minister noted that 
     Mr. Khalra ``had published a report showing that the Punjab 
     police have arrested more than 25,000 young Sikh men, 
     tortured them, murdered them, then declared them 
     `unidentified' and cremated their bodies.
       ``These atrocities are intolerable in any country, 
     especially one that calls itself a democracy. . . .
       ``This abuse of police power is inexcusable.''
       The congressional letter was the product of effective 
     lobbying by Gurmit Singh Aulakh of the Council of Khalistan, 
     which represents Sikhs pressing for a separate homeland.
                                                                    ____

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                 Washington, DC, October 19, 1995.
     Hon. P.V. Narashima Rao,
     Prime Minister of India, Chankaya Puri, New Delhi, India.
       Dear Prime Minister Rao: According to an Amnesty 
     International ``Urgent Action'' bulletin issued on September 
     7, Punjab police abducted Sikh human rights activist Jaswant 
     Singh Khalra from his home in Amritsar on September 6. His 
     whereabouts are unknown. As the general secretary of Human 
     Rights Wing (Shiromani Akali Dal), Mr. Khalra had published a 
     report showing that the Punjab police have arrested more than 
     25,000 young Sikh men, tortured them, murdered them, then 
     declared them ``unidentified'' and cremated their bodies. 
     These atrocities are intolerable in any country, especially 
     one that calls itself a democracy. After the report was 
     published, Mr. Khalra was told by the Amritsar district 
     police chief, ``We have made 25,000 disappear. It would be 
     easy to make one more disappear.'' This abuse of police power 
     is inexcusable.
       The right to speak out and expose atrocities is one of the 
     most fundamental rights of free individuals. As long as Mr. 
     Khalra remains in detention, how can anyone in India feel 
     secure exercising his or her democratic liberties?
       Many of us wrote to you previously urging that the 
     passports of Sikh leader Samranjit Singh Mann and Dalit 
     (``black untouchable'') leader V.T. Rajshekar be restored. 
     Your government has not acted, and Mr. Mann and Mr. Rajshekar 
     remain unable to travel. The right to travel is fundamental 
     to a democratic nation.
       Mr. Prime Minister, we call upon your government to release 
     Mr. Khalra immediately. We also urge you to restore the 
     passports of Mr. Rajshekar and Mr. Mann. If India is a 
     democratic country, it must end these gross violations of 
     human rights and democratic principles. Only then can 
     democracy truly begin to flower. We await your response.
           Sincerely,
         Gary A. Condit, James A. Traficant, William Jefferson, 
           Peter King, Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham, Roscoe Bartlett, 
           Jack Fields, Donald M. Payne, Dan Burton, Phil Crane, 
           Richard Pombo, Karen McCarthy, Neil Abercrombie, Wally 
           Herger, Dana Rohrabacher, Esteban Torres,
         Ronald V. Dellums, John T. Doolittle, Michael Forbes, 
           Enid G. Waldholtz, Gil Gutknecht, Victor Frazer, John 
           Porter, Sam Gejdenson, Bob Livingston, Edolphus Towns, 
           Chris Smith, William O. Lipinski, Scott King, Lincoln 
           Diaz-Balart, Dick Zimmer, Collin Peterson, Pete Geren,
         Joe Skeen, Duncan Hunter, Jim Ramstad, Floyd Flake, 
           Bernie Sanders, Matt Salmon, Richard ``Doc'' Hastings, 
           Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Phil English, Richard Burr, Connie 
           Morella, Carlos Romero-Barcelo, Sanford D. Bishop, Jim 
           Moran, Martin R. Hoke, Jack Metcalf,
         Amo Houghton, Jerry Solomon, Robert Torricelli, Ed 
           Whitfield, Melvin L. Watt, Jim Kolbe, John Shadegg, 
           J.D. Hayworth, James H. Quillen, Barbara Cubin, Charlie 
           Norwood, Vic Fazio, Chris Cox, Joe Scarborough, Bill 
           Richardson, Steve Schiff.

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