[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 131 (Friday, October 1, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  POLICE STILL KILLING SIKHS IN PUNJAB

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 30, 1999

  Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, on September 22, Burning Punjab 
reported that Devinder Singh, a young Sikh, died in police custody at 
the Ropar police station on September 18. A witness said that third-
degree methods were used to extract ``false information'' from him. His 
brother and two associates said that he died of injuries inflicted by 
the police. The two associates were unable to walk due to injuries from 
torture.
  About a week earlier, another young Sikh was killed by the police in 
the Sarhali police station. On August 16, Lakhbir Singh Lakha was 
tortured to death in police custody at police post, Chohla Sahib. Mr. 
Inder Singh, father of the deceased said they had to wait for the body 
as his son had died 48 hours earlier. Gurpreet, a 17\1/2\-year-old Sikh 
girl, was abducted and raped repeatedly by the son of a Punjab Akali 
minister and his brother-in-law. Another Catholic priest was murdered 
in Orissa by allies of the governing party.
  The Indian government says that there are no more human-rights 
violations occurring in Punjab, yet incidents like these keep coming to 
light.
  These terrible incidents are just part of a pattern that has seen the 
Indian forces allegedly murder over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, as well 
as more than 200,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1948, over 65,000 
Muslims in Kashmir since 1988, and thousands of other minorities such 
as Tamils, Manipuris, Dalit ``untouchables,'' and Assamese people.
  I thank Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of 
Khalistan, for bringing these terrible incidents to my attention. These 
incidents show that for minorities like the Sikhs and others, there is 
no security in India. That is why the Sikhs of Khalistan, the Muslims 
of Kashmir, the Christians of Nagaland, and others seek their 
independence.
  I call on my colleagues to support an internationally-supervised 
plebiscite in Punjab on the question of independence. These people 
should be given the same opportunity that citizens of Puerto Rico and 
Quebec have received--the chance to decide their political future and 
status in a democratic vote.
  Many believe that the breakup of India is inevitable. Since India now 
has nuclear weapons, the democratic countries of the world, led by the 
United States, must work to make sure that if this happens, it happens 
peacefully like in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and 
Slovakia), not violently like in Yugoslavia. We can prevent another 
Yugoslavia type crisis from breaking out in South Asia by encouraging 
the democratic process in the subcontinent. Let us take this stand and 
help ensure democracy and stability throughout the region.

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