[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 145 (Tuesday, November 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1988-E1989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           OPPOSITION PARTY MEMBERS BEING ARRESTED IN PUNJAB

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 12, 2002

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, in Punjab, there are elections coming up for 
the SGPC, the organization that is in charge of all the Gurdwaras, or 
Sikh temples, in India. According to the Times of India, members of the 
Shiromani Akali Dal, which used to run the state government until it 
lost the state elections to the Congress Party earlier this year, are 
being arrested in connection with these elections. Many members of the 
party are going into hiding.
  The Akali government under the leadership of Parkash Badal was the 
most corrupt government in Punjab's history. They came up with a new 
term for bribery. They called it ``fee for service.'' You didn't get 
the service unless you paid the fee. And they did nothing to get Sikh 
political prisoners released or to bring police officers who committed 
murder and other

[[Page E1989]]

atrocities against the Sikhs to justice. I was proud to be one of the 
42 Members of this House from both parties who signed a letter earlier 
this year asking President Bush to work for the release of these 
political prisoners.
  We all support the prosecution of corrupt and brutal officials who 
were responsible for crimes against the people. However, those who 
committed these crimes should be brought to justice for these crimes. 
They and their followers should not be arrested merely for belonging to 
the Akali party.
  A democracy does not arrest people for their political affiliations. 
A democracy does not hold political prisoners. Yet these things are 
happening today in India, which says that it is the ``world's largest 
democracy.'' A report from the Movement Against State Repression showed 
that India admitted to holding 52,268 Sikhs as political prisoners. 
Some have been there since 1984. Tens of thousands of other minorities 
are also being held, according to Amnesty International.
  More than 250,000 Sikhs have been murdered by the Indian government. 
It has also killed over 80,000 Kashmiri Muslims, over 200,000 
Christians in Nagaland, and tens of thousands of other minorities as 
well. Priests have been killed, nuns have been raped, churches have 
been burned, prayer halls and schools have been attacked by members of 
the RSS, the pro-Fascist parent organization of the ruling BJP. Indian 
soldiers were caught red-handed trying to set fire to some Sikh homes 
and a Gurdwara in a village in Kashmir. The government has been 
implicated in the mass murders of Muslims in Gujarat this spring and in 
the March 2000 massacre of 35 Sikhs in Chithisinghpora. It is clear 
that the true face of India is not democratic at all, but it is a Hindu 
theocratic tyranny.
  The political arrest of members of the opposition party underline the 
fact that India is not democratic. Therefore, it is not worthy of U.S. 
support. We should stop our aid to India and our trade with that 
corrupt, theocratic state. We should make a public declaration of 
support for self-determination for Punjab, Khalistan, for predominantly 
Christian Nagaland, for Kashmir, and for all the peoples and nations 
seeking their freedom from India. This is the best way to bring real 
freedom, peace, stability, and security to everyone in that troubled 
region.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to place the Times of India article into 
the Record at this time.

             [lsqb]The Times of India, Nov. 12, 2002[rsqb]

                  Beards Were Tied Up, Blue Discarded

                            (By Ks Dhaliwal)

       Jalandhar/Beas/Rayya.--Gurcharan Singh Channi heard the 
     knock on the door at 2.30 am of November 7. He guessed right. 
     It was the early morning swoop. He slipped out of the back 
     door. From then on till Monday he remained underground, 
     travelling to Nadda Sahib, boldly giving interviews to 
     various TV channels, moving on to Chandigarh, Ludhiana. Only 
     on Monday he reached Harminder Sahib along with thousands of 
     others who were on the run after the Punjab Police went into 
     an overdrive to arrest SAD (Badal) leaders in view of the 
     SGPC elections. Channi is the general secretary, Jalandhar 
     urban unit, SAD (Badal). Many more like Channi reached 
     Harminder Sahib on Monday in disguise. They hoodwinked the 
     nakas en-route by rolling up their flowing beards, switching 
     over from the traditional Akali blue turban to maroon, coffee 
     colour and sky blue.
       They even got past nakas adopting urban styles. Instead of 
     the kurta pajama, they switched to trousers, shirts and 
     neckties.
       Hundreds of them were taken out of buses. At Nadkodar Chowk 
     on Monday all bearded men were barred from boarding buses. 
     Sucha Singh Langah tied up his beard to get into the Golden 
     Temple. Sarwan Singh Phillaur, who was under house arrest, 
     also managed to give police the slip.
       Venturing out from Jalandhar many followed circuitous 
     routes through link roads. One popular route used to reach 
     Amritsar was from Jalandhar to Tanda, Hargobindpur Sahib, 
     Mehta Chowk, Mattewal, Majitha bypass and then the Golden 
     Temple. It took double the time as they traversed twice the 
     distance.
       Some went from Jalandhar to Kapurthala, Goindwal Sahib, 
     Tarn Taran, Amritsar. Armarjit Singh took his wife and 
     sister-in-law along posing at the nakes that the latter was 
     sick and was being taken to the hospital.
       Resham Singh Thiara, who contested the last assembly 
     elections from Nawanshabr on an Akali Dal ticket, posed as a 
     businessman from Delhi.
       Buses entering Punjab on Monday were halted at over 40 
     nakas on way to Jalandhar. ``It was only by evening that the 
     nakas appeared to relent as news spread and probably the 
     signal was beeped to relax the check after the government 
     probably realised that it was having a damaging effect on the 
     psyche of the people,'' said Thiara.
       SAD members shout anti-government slogans at the Golden 
     Temple Complex, on Monday.

     

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