1984: Human Rights

Anti-Sikh Riots
Sikhs for Justice to challenge Canada’s response 
Perneet Singh
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 15

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a New York-based human rights advocacy group which is spearheading the justice campaign for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, today announced that a “motion to debate the issue of Sikh genocide” will be filed in the Canadian Parliament through which a debate will be sought in the House to challenge the Canadian Government’s response to the “Sikh genocide petition”.

Talking to The Tribune on the phone from the US, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal adviser to the SFJ, said, “The Canadian Government’s response to the Sikh genocide petition is full of legal and factual errors. The Sikh community is going to challenge this response in the Canadian Parliament by filing a ‘motion to debate the issue of Sikh genocide’ through which we will present to the House evidence, documents and witnesses to substantiate the claim that the massacre of Sikhs in November 1984 was an act of genocide as defined under Article 2 of the UN Convention on Genocide.” He said they would get 50,000 signatures in support of the motion for debate on the genocide issue, adding that help from Canadian MPs like Sukh Dhaliwal will also be sought for the purpose.

He alleged that the Government of Canada’s response to the Sikh genocide petition was in “breach of its obligations” under the UN Convention on Genocide, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes Act of Canada, all of which required Canada to recognise the killings like that of November 1984 as “genocide” and to take all necessary actions to prevent and prosecute the crime of genocide.

SFJ coordinator Jatinder Singh Grewal dubbed the Candian Government’s response as “merely an attempt to appease India because of the latter’s mighty economic status”. According to him, such an attitude and behaviour of the Canadian Government on an issue of human rights is “not only discouraging for the victims of November 1984 but is also contemptuous to the brave Canadian men and women who are serving in Afghanistan to promote the Canadian legacy of human rights for all”.

In June 2010, a petition signed by more than 10,000 Canadians asking the Canadian Government to recognise the Sikh massacre of November 1984 as “genocide”, was presented in the Canadian Parliament. However, the Canadian Government had rejected the petition.

’84 Delhi riots: Social, religious, bodies hold ‘insaf march’ 
Bipin Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 15

Various social and religious organisations here today organised an “insaf march” to seek justice for the families of those killed in 1984 in Delhi.

The march had been organised so that the Supreme Court could take suo motu action in this case. Holding black flags and placards, various affected families and members of religious organisation assembled at Company Bagh and held the march till Guru Nanak Mission Chowk.

Lead by SGPC member Kulwant Singh Manan and SAD (Urban) president Gurcharan Singh Channi, the protesters signed 300 letters to the Chief Justice of India.

In the letters, they alleged that “anti-social elements” with the connivance of the Centre and leaders of various political parties had killed 2,990 persons belonging to the Sikh community. Interestingly, the police registered only a few cases in this regard and only 10 cases were decided while many were pending even after 26 years, they added. Though efforts have been made by the community and lawyers to fight the cases in courts, only a handful of convictions have taken place while the main culprits are roaming free.

“In the recent years, we have seen that the apex court has reopened many cases including, the Jessica and Priyadarshni Mattoo cases, but the massacre of Sikhs has failed to draw the attention of the SC,” they added.