[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22096-22097]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                HUMAN-RIGHTS ACTIVIST DETAINED IN INDIA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 8, 2001

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, the Indian government recently detained Mrs. 
Paramjit Kaur Khalra, widow of a human-rights activist and a human-
rights activist in her own right, along with six other human-rights 
activists, including the Vice President of the Punjab Human rights 
Organization (PHRO), Kirpal Singh Randhawa. They were apparently 
arrested under TADA, the repressive ``Terrorist and Disruptive 
Activities Act, '' which expired in 1995. Now India has promulgated an 
even worse law, known as POTO, which would make advocating the breakup 
of India a ``terrorist offense'' and would allow the arrest of 
journalists for publishing information critical of the government. Is 
this the kind of law promulgated in a democratic and free society?
  You may remember, Mr. Speaker, that the President of the PHRO, Judge 
Ajit Singh Bains, testified several years ago before the Human Rights 
Caucus of the House and was very impressive. After his testimony, you 
could have no doubt that Punjab under Indian rule is a very tyrannical 
state.
  Mrs. Khalra is the widow of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed the 
Indian government's policy of mass, secret cremations of Sikhs. This 
policy has been called ``worse than a genocide'' by the Punjab High 
Court. For exposing it, Mr. Khalra was kidnapped from his house in 
Amritsar in September 1995 and tortured to death. None of the police 
officers responsible has ever been punished. Now Mrs. Khalra's efforts 
to continue her husband's work have gotten her arrested. It is clear 
that she and the other human-rights activists were arrested to prevent 
their participation in political events and stop public protest. India 
still believes, after all the bloodshed, that it can intimidate the 
Sikhs and other minorities such as the Christians of Nagaland, the 
Muslims of Kashmir, and others into submission to Hindu supremacy.
  It is not a good time to be a widow in India, Mr. Speaker. First the 
Indian government tried to expel the widow of missionary Graham Staines 
from the country, and now they are harassing Mrs. Khalra. This is 
Indian democracy in action, and it is not pretty.
  There was one eyewitness to the kidnapping of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a 
man named Rajiv Singh Randhawa. Last year, he was arrested in front of 
the Golden Temple in Amritsar for trying to hand a petition to the 
British Home Minister. In light of repeated incidents like this, India 
should be embarrassed to proclaim itself ``the world's largest 
democracy.''
  Mr. Speaker, the United States should not sit idly by and let these 
acts of repression go on without consequences. Our government must 
immediately press for the release of Mrs. Khalra and the 52,000-plus 
Sikh political prisoners currently being held without charge or trial 
in India, as well as the thousands of other political prisoners of 
other nationalities. All of them must be released. If they are not, I 
urge them to secure their release by running for political office from 
their jail cells.
  In addition, America should stop its aid to India and support an 
internationally-supervised vote on the political status of Punjab, 
Khalistan, of Kashmir, of Nagalim, and of all the countries seeking 
their independence. Remember that India promised in 1948 to hold a 
plebiscite in Kashmir, a promise it has not kept. It is time for India 
to start acting like a democracy. This vote would be a good way to 
start.
  Mr. Speaker, I have here an Urgent Action Request from the Canadian 
branch of the World Sikh Organization demanding the immediate release 
of Mrs. Khalra. It was brought to me by Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, 
President of the Council of Khalistan. I would like to place it in the 
Record to show my colleagues the real workings of Indian democracy.

                         Urgent Action Request

       Ottawa, November 3, 2001.--The World Sikh Organization 
     requests your immediate assistance to procure the release of 
     Mrs. Laswant Singh Khalra and six other human rights 
     activists and lawyers who were arrested by the Indian police 
     on November 2, 2001. It is known that these individuals were 
     arrested to prevent their participation in political events 
     in Punjab, and to prevent public protest. Mrs. Khalra's 
     husband, Jaswant Singh was the lead investigator who 
     uncovered illegal cremation grounds maintained throughout 
     Punjab by police. Mr. Khalra and Mr. Jaspal Singh Dhillon 
     both leaders of the Human Rights Wing of the Shiromani Akali 
     Dal were arrested, and presumably tortured by the very same 
     Punjab Police they sought to prosecute. Mr. Khalra was 
     tortured to death, and now Mrs. Khalra and six others have 
     been arrested under a charge of ``threat to the peace''.

[[Page 22097]]

       Soft-spoken and peaceful, Mr. and Mrs. Khalra visited with 
     Canadian and American politicians, including Canadian Prime 
     Minister Jean Chretien to apprize them of ongoing oppression 
     in Punjab. Providing evidence of the disposal grounds for 
     thousands of unidentified Sikhs murdered by Indian officials 
     with the support of central government, Mrs. Khalra has been 
     an outspoken activist since the murder of her husband. 
     Nonetheless the central Indian government has been seeking 
     general amnesty for the police officers involved in the 
     cremation grounds and thousands of other illegal executions. 
     Since the early nineteen eighties thousands of Sikhs have 
     suffered illegal arrest, detention, torture, and murder at 
     the hands of state and government officials. Arresting human 
     rights activists like Mrs. Khalra and lawyers involved in 
     important human rights cases, once again prevents public 
     scrutiny of the realities of present day Punjab. Recently a 
     professor by the name of Davinder Singh was prosecuted under 
     the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act, an Act which was 
     purportedly repealed in 1995. Despite the United Nations 
     condemning India's laws, and evidence of coercion and torture 
     of the accused for the purposes of extracting a confession, 
     Mr. Singh has been sentenced to the death penalty. In India, 
     the new Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) seeks to 
     fill the void created following the lapsing of TADA, and 
     makes the TADA legislation look mild. POTO provides for 
     suppression of information and therefore makes journalists 
     subject to terrorism charges if they publish information 
     unfavorable to the government. It makes the disclosure of 
     information to police investigators mandatory with prison 
     terms of up to three years for non compliance. Under the POTO 
     citizens of Punjab will be forced to live in a police state 
     that is even more brutal than the last two decades.
       We need your urgent assistance to let the Indian government 
     know that democratic nations will not tolerate such abuses of 
     innocent citizens and such shameless violations of civilian 
     rights from a Commonwealth partner. Please take every action 
     possible to obtain the immediate release of Mrs. Khalra and 
     six other lawyers, and to repeal the death penalty sentence 
     against Davinder Singh. Your active and vocal response to 
     these travesties of justice are imperative to the future of 
     all civilians in India.

     

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