[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 21, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E368-E369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INDIAN GOVERNMENT MURDERS 35 SIKHS: U.S. MUST TAKE ACTION AGAINST THIS 
                                ATROCITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 21, 2000

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, like everyone in this House, I was shocked 
and saddened to hear of the brutal murders of 35 Sikhs in Kashmir. The 
loss of life is a tragedy. I am sure that my colleagues will join me in 
expressing our sympathies to the victims' families.
  Although the news media reported that ``Kashmiri militants'' were 
responsible for this incident, the latest information shows that 
India's Research and Analysis Wing carried out this brutal and cowardly 
atrocity.
  There are over 700,000 Indian troops in Kashmir. How could the 
persons responsible for these crimes simply disappear without being 
detected? What motive would the Kashmiris have to kill Sikhs, who are 
their allies in the struggle for freedom? When these incidents occur, 
Mr. Speaker, one must ask who benefits from them. The only beneficiary 
is the Indian government, which again divides the minorities, setting 
them against each other to continue their divide-and-rule strategy.
  India's pattern of terrorism is well known. It recently tried to 
blame the Sikhs for the murder of Christian missionary Graham Staines 
by arresting a Hindu man who calls himself Dara Singh despite the fact 
that Staines and his family were murdered by Hindu extremists allied 
with the ruling party. According to the Hitavada newspaper, the Indian 
government paid the late Governor of Punjab, Surendra Nath, to foment 
terrorist activities in Punjab and Kashmir to generate more repression 
and set minorities against each other.
  In this country, if someone tried to create violence between, say, 
African Americans and Hispanics, that person would be rejected and 
likely arrested. In India, this is government policy.
  It is also disturbing that this atrocity occurs just after President 
Clinton lifted the sanctions imposed on India after its nuclear tests. 
In light of these murders, those sanctions should be reimposed and 
India should be declared a terrorist state. Here in Congress, we should 
cut off U.S. aid to India and we should declare our support for the 
freedom movements in Khalistan, Kashmir, Nagaland, and throughout 
India. We must do these things to promote freedom for the people of 
South Asia and the world.
  Mr. Speaker, Burning Punjab published the names of the victims of 
this massacre and the Council of Khalistan published an excellent press 
release on the incident. I would like to introduce these items into the 
Record to honor the memory of the victims and inform my colleagues and 
the people.

                   Indian Government Murders 35 Sikhs


  RAW Agents Pose as Kashmiri Militants--Continues Pattern of Pitting 
                     Minorities Against Each Other

       Washington, DC, March 21.--Thirty-five (35) Sikhs were 
     murdered in Kashmir today by agents of the Indian 
     government's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) posing as 
     Kashmiri militants. There are over 700,000 Indian troops 
     stationed in Kashmir, yet the murderers disappeared without 
     detection. The murders were carried out during President 
     Clinton's visit to South Asia.
       Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of 
     Khalistan, strongly condemned the murders. ``These murders 
     are evil, cowardly, and stupid acts designed to pit one 
     community against another and prop up India's image for the 
     President's visit,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``Whoever carried out 
     these brutal acts, they are cowards,'' he said. ``They may 
     escape justice in this world, but they will face the justice 
     of God. That will be worse for them.''
       ``Sikhs and Kashmiris are allies in the struggle for 
     freedom,'' said Dr. Aulakh. ``What motive would Kashmiri 
     freedom fighters have to kill Sikhs? This would be especially 
     stupid when President Clinton is visiting. The freedom 
     movements in Kashmir, Khalistan, Nagaland, and throughout 
     India need the support of the United States,'' he said. 
     Khalistan is the Sikh homeland declared independent on 
     October 7, 1987.
       The murders continue a pattern of divide-and-rule terrorism 
     by the Indian government. The government has recently tried 
     to blame Sikhs for the murder of Christian missionary Graham 
     Staines by arresting a Hindu man who uses the alias Dara 
     Singh. Every Sikh male uses Singh in his name. Yet it was 
     reported at the time of the Staines murder that he and his 
     two sons were burned to death in their jeep by a mob chanting 
     ``Victory to Hannuman,'' a Hindu god. That mob was affiliated 
     with the Fascist RSS, the parent organization of the ruling 
     BJP. In November 1994, The Hitavada reported that the Indian 
     government paid the late Governor of Punjab, Surendra Nath, 
     $1.5 billion to organize and support covert state terrorism 
     in Punjab, Khalistan, and in Kashmir. The book ``Soft 
     Target,'' written by two respected Canadian journalists, 
     proved that the Indian government blew up its own airliner in 
     1985, killing 329 people, to blame the incident on the Sikhs 
     and provide an excuse for more repression and bloodshed. This 
     is a well-established modus operandi of RAW.
       The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 
     1984, according to figures compiled by the Punjab State 
     Magistracy and human-rights organizations. The figures were 
     published in ``The Politics of Genocide'' by Inderjit Singh 
     Jaijee. The government has also killed over 200,000 
     Christians in Nagaland since 1947, more than 65,000 Kashmiri 
     Muslims since 1988, and tens of thousands of Assamese, 
     Manipuris, Tamils, Dalits, and others. The U.S. State 
     Department reported that the Indian government paid more than 
     41,000 cash bounties to police to murder Sikhs. Amnesty 
     International recently reported that there are thousands of 
     political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, held 
     in Indian jails without charge or trial. Some Sikh political 
     prisoners have been in this illegal detention since 1984.
       ``This shows that there is no freedom for minorities in 
     India,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``For minorities, India is no 
     democracy,'' he said. ``As U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher 
     said, for the minorities `India might as well be Nazi 
     Germany.' ''
       ``I urge President Clinton and Ambassador Richard Celeste 
     to confront India on these brutal murders, as well as the 
     recent harassment of journalist Sukhbir Singh Osan, getting 
     Sikh and other political prisoners released, and the ongoing, 
     massive, and brutal human-rights violations against Sikhs and 
     other minorities,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``If the United States 
     wants to see an end to these incidents, it should support 
     self-determination for Khalistan, Kashmir, Nagaland, and all 
     the other nations seeking their freedom from India,'' Dr. 
     Aulakh said. ``Only a free

[[Page E369]]

     Khalistan will end India's corruption, tyranny and genocide 
     against the Sikh Nation,'' he said. ``India is on the verge 
     of disintegration. The Sikh leadership should immediately 
     begin a Shantmai Morcha to liberate our homeland, 
     Khalistan.''

                                  ____
                                  

             [From the Burning Punjab News, Mar. 21, 2000]

                       Massacred Sikhs identified

       Srinagar.--The 35 Sikhs massacred at Chatti- Singpora in 
     south Kashmir late last night by unknown armed persons have 
     been identified. Following is the list of people killed by 
     militants: Rajinder Singh (42), Karnail Singh (35), Rajan 
     Singh (40), Naranjan Singh (50), Gurdeep Singh (25), Ajeetpal 
     Singh (22), Joginder Singh (26), Gurbax Singh (35), Uttam 
     Singh (30), Surjit Singh (22), Majit Singh (30), Devinder 
     Singh (18), Rajinder Singh (35), Reshpal Singh (40), Gurmeek 
     Singh (35), Sukha Singh (53), Ravi Singh (38), Jangbhadur 
     Singh (36), Rajdeep Singh (18), Naseeb Singh (50), Kulbeer 
     Singh (20), Darban Singh (28), Deader Singh (50), Gurmeet 
     Singh (22), Ujal Singh (28), Charan Singh (50), Sartaj Singh 
     (30), Rajnath Singh (45), Faqir Singh (65), Karnail Singh 
     (45), Sheetal Singh (66), Ravinder Singh (22), Jagdesh Singh 
     (25), Sagir Singh (60), and Sartaj Singh (26). One Devinder 
     Kaur died of heart attack following the massacre.

     

                          ____________________