UK Sikhs highlight deteriorating human rights situation in Panjab

Friday 1 July 2005

A protest by hundreds of Sikh activists is taking place later today (2.30-4.30pm) outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (King Charles Street) to highlight the deteriorating human rights situation in Panjab. The protest will coincide with a press conference being given by Tony Blair inside the Foreign Office in the run up to the G8 conference.

Sikhs are urging the UK Government and the international community to take immediate steps for the release of all Sikh political prisoners and to stop the arrest, illegal detention and torture of innocent Sikh youth. Many Sikh political prisoners have been languishing in Indian jails for many years without charge or trial, while others have been unfairly sentenced with dubious charges and fabricated evidence to simply try and stop their political activities.

In the last few weeks reports indicate over 700 Sikhs in Panjab have been arrested, illegally detained and tortured. Details of individual cases have been passed by the Sikh Federation (UK) to Amnesty International to take urgent action. The Amnesty International Secretariat are expected to make a public announcement calling for Amnesty to be given immediate access to Panjab to investigate, which they have been denied since 1978.

The Sikh Federation (UK), the first and only Sikh political party in the UK, has also been pushing the UK Government over the last two weeks to ensure they also take up the case of pro-Sikh independence protagonists, such as Kanwarpal Singh Bittu, Sarbjit Singh Ghuman and Simranjit Singh Mann. Earlier this week the Federation took human rights lawyers from Panjab to meet with politicians from all three main political parties urging them to act now.

An Early Day Motion (EDM) has been tabled this week in the House of Commons to highlight the concern of UK politicians

EDM 448 - ARREST OF POLITICAL ACTIVISTS IN PUNJAB reads:
That this House notes with extreme concern the arrest by the Indian Government of senior Dal Khalsa leaders, Mr Kanwarpal Singh Bittu and Mr Sarbjit Singh Ghuman, the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, and the President of the Khalsa Raj Party, Mr Jagjit Singh Chohan; and calls upon the Government to press the Indian government to draw back from what many regard as a campaign of oppression of free speech and legitimate political activity.

A Federation spokesman said: "The situation in India is unacceptable - a peaceful public display of support for an independent sovereign Sikh state, has been met with arrests and charges of sedition. Dal Khalsa activists have been charged for carrying Nishan Sahibs, pictures of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the greatest Sikh of the 20th Century and photographs of the Akal Takht that was destroyed in the Indian army assault in June 1984."

"We believe it is our duty to take up the case of the right of freedom of speech of all pro-Sikh independence activists in Panjab. We have taken this matter up with UK Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister. We are also aware of Manmohan Singh's presence in the UK on the 7-8 July. This is why we have also arranged a protest to take place next week when he is at the Indian High Commission."