[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. ____________________