Vol. 35 No. 34 21st April, 1986 Price: Re. 1 I.

POLITICAL CLIMATE IN PUNJAB NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Rajiv-Loogowal Accord Must Be Implemented Fully Unless the Rajiv-Longowal accord of Jnly 24 last

year is implemented fully, peace cannot return to Punjab. The problem is more political than that nf mere law and order. This very assessment, which we have been stressing all these months has been upheld by Governor 8 .S. Ray at a press conference in Jullundur on April 15.

comes through and when it would be imp iemented lies in the realm

of conjecture. Its first deadline of December 31, 1985 is much bebind us.

The All-India Gurdwara Bill. for which Sikhs bave been clamouring sinc, 1947 and wbich was an aochor-sheet of the ac­cord, is nowhere on tile horizon. We are told the states concerned have been asked to send their

comments. But wby was not a deadlin~

set for these repl ies ? The inescapable conclusion is

that tbe centre is deliberately dragging its feet,

Mr Rajiv Gandhi had agreed' to set up a h i gh-p~wer c )mmittee to review the ClSeS of all those

(Continued on last page) It is true that extremists never

accepted the accord. But they have built a propaganda barrage around it to prove that Punjabis have been cheated again by the crafty centre.

It is ' sheer naivete on New Delhi's part to contend that all clauses of the accord , except for two, have been implemented , In fact, not even one clause has b~en implemented fully, Of course, there bas been show of some spade., work being done .

Bizarre Suggestions About By Some M.P.s

Punjab

Chandigarb, which was to be merged with Punjab on January 26 last, is still a union territory . The Vankataramiah co mmission has been asked to submit a report by May 31 next on Hindi·speak­ing areas of Punjab to be given to Haryana in lieu of Chand i­garh. Tbe merger of City Beauti­ful and these areas is to be done simultaneously within three weeks after that.

But who knows what will happen ? . ,

Since 1970 wben Mrs Indira Gandhi awarded the city to Punjab, there have been so many slips between the cup and tbe lip ,

Tbe second commiSSIon, which is to go into territorial claims and counter-claims of Punjab and Haryana, is still to take birth. Originally, it was due to submit its report before January 24 this year.

The Eradi commission on share of Ravi-Beas surplus waters is still to begin its work In real earnest. Wben its final report

Working For A Commuoit}'s Good No~ Communalism

During the deb::lte on grants for the union hom¢ ministry in Lok Sabha this week, some members allow­ed their sentiments to overpower their reasoning. As a result, some bizarre suggestions were made.

Mr Shantaram Nai k from Goa demanded that the Punjab assembly be dissolved and the state declared a union territory for a period or five years so that tbe "centre could affectively deal with tbe terrorist problem" .

But he forgot tbat the pro­blem remained unsolved when the state was under president's rule for nearly two years till September . 1985, Then New Delhi had all the po wets and wherewithals to tackle the terrorists. How can the new dispensation put more teeth into the centre's role?

When Goa itself is clamour­ing for statehood, it is ironical that Mr Naik should ask for Punjab to be demoted into a union territory. If UT recipe is so sweet and nice, why does Mr Naik shout for its replace­menl in Goa?

Mr K.K, Tiwari suggested

that the government must give first priority to the job of getting the GoMen T~mple vacated o'f terrorists to "break the backs of Khali~tanis" _

No one endorses the activities of the some misguided Sikhs who are taking undue advantage of the sanctuary provided by the holy complex and indulging in anti-national activities. B~t the million-dollar question is: How to flush them out?

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has ruled out another Operation BluJstar, as he does not want tQ add to the alienation of Sikhs who have not so far forgotten or forxiven the army invasion of June 1984. ,

Tbe Sarbat Khalsa, organised­at Anandpur Sahib in February this year by Akal Takht lathed.r Kirpal Singh, had decided to send Shahldl Jalha3 to liberate the Golden Temple complex from

the forci bl e occup,tion by uS'lr­pers of "united" Akali Dal Damdami Taksal and All Indi~ :;ikh Students Federation. But so far nothing has been done , It is high time th e Akali Dal 'and SGPC took tangible steps t~ transla te the pledge into reality . This shall also keep government forces away from the areDa.

Some members demanded a ban on Akali Dal and other communal parties, Bur they' should remember that our consti­tution confers special protection of minorities. Moreover, free~ doms of speech, thought, assem­bly and worship are guaranteed . Any ban on AkaliDal would therefore, be illegal and uncono;­titutional.

Moreover, to work for tbe good of one's cOIDmunity is n~ crime, no sin, The tragedy is tbat some people are inclined to treat the nati~nalism of a !"inority community as communalism and: in turn, b~iI. tbe communalism or

, tbe m'Jonly commuOlty as nationalism. There lies tbe mai. rub.

THE "SPCKESMAN~ WBBKLY 2

CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF HINDUS A MAD ACT Prosperity Of Sikbs Linked Witb Tbat Of Hindus Driven to desperation, tbe 'ousted convener of AIl­

India Sikh Students Federation, Sardar Harin(jer Singh Kahlon, has begun adopting postures which are divorc­ed from realities of Jife and border on insanity.

-'Silchs and Hindus., members. , Sardar Kahlon has .. ked Sikhs not to sell thei rproduce to

. Hindus, and stop all business 'deals with Hindus.

He has now given a Cll! to Sikb.s r<J, an econlmic b~yc~tt of Hindus , He has asked, bis folio· wers to ran out in different direc ' tions in Punja b to make tbe boycott a success.

Th, boycott call ba~ been publi$hed by a New Delbi English daily but safar Sardar 'Kbalon has not denied ~.t .

Maybe Sardar KbaloH wants to stop his followers from desert· ing him with tbese puanoid slogans. Only last week be was dethroned from tbe "acting convenersbip" of AISSF. His : I-rnemb,r adboc committee wa, dismissed by Bbai Manjit Singh, A IS,F president, who is now in

This is easier said, than done. Jodhpur j.il, and a five· man It is true that Punjab econo ' "presidium" installed in its ' my is dominated by Hindus but place, This presidium has since the, Sikh contribution to it also been recognised by "Acting" is no mean. Both the communi­Akal Takht Jathedar Bh,ai ties sustain each other. One com­Gurdev Singh and "united" munity cannot survive, much less Akali Dal of Bab. Joginder . prosper, without the o:her. For Singb. B~Jt Sardar Kablo~:s com· , instance, iC a Hindu is making a mlttee stIli enJoys recogllltlon of 'motor for a fan a Sikh provide, Damdaml Takaal . In this st ,uggle ~. Jbe fan belt. Su~b examples can Cor leadershIp and war of nerves, , be multiplied by tens of tbou-wbo wins in tbe end ca,nnot",-be ~, 'sands .' , . ' . said witb certainty. ,, ' ''.,' 'Punjab farmers, who are

But tbe boycott can will hil almost entirely Sikhs, contribute Sikhs as mucb as Hindus. More· 60 percent of wheat and 55 per­over, it would lead to soci.1 cent of rice to the national buffer cleavage wbich bas to be avoided stocks. If these sales are stopped. al all costs. Tbis is more so wben bow will tbe farmers get rid of numerous families bave botb tbeir surplus stocks, much less

Anandpur Sahib firing toll bigb'er says PCFD report

Sardar Harinder Singb K.blon, convener, A ISSF, and Sardar Sarbjit Singb of A ISSF, Ropar met the Akali leaders iucluding Sardar Surjan Singb Thekedar, Sardar Gurd, v Singb, Sardar Piara Singh Padena and Sardar Horbans Singh Gbuman at tbe residence of Iatbedar H "c!).ran Singb Mahalon.- of the Takbt Sri Kesgarh Sabib, on tbe even ing of March 25. The AISSF leaders asked the Akali leaders to convey it to tbe chief minister that in case Bbai Mobkam Singh was not released by 10 a.m. on Marcb 26. tbe 'sangat' would not a!low Sardar Barnala to speak at the Akali Dal conference.

A committee of tbe Punjab Citizens for Democracy (PCFD) which enquired into the police tiring on militants at , Anandpur Sabib on March 26 has found that the incident could have been 2.voided b,d the Chief Minister, Sardar Surjit Singh B,rnala, not gone tbere on that day to address an Akali Dal conference on the eve of tbe "Hola Moballa" festival.

Differing witb tbe government version of seven persons dead and 24 injured in the firing, tbe committee feels tbat more tban 15 \lerson. bad been kill<d and 50 wounded in tbe firing.

Mr Iu,tice A.S . Blins, a retired Judge of the Punjab and Haryan. HIgh Court and Ch,ir­m;n of tbe PCFD, rekased the report of the: committee at a news conference in Cbandigarb last week. The enquiry committee appointed by him consisted of Mr ~ 11'lu ka f Al i, Vice- Chairman, PCFD, Mr D,S. Gill, Convener, PCFD coordioation committee, Lt. Col. Harblll' Singh Kahlon and Sardar Gurdev Singb.

The. committee examined the claims of the authorities tbat tbe police had to swing into action to save tbe life of tbe Cbief Minister, bis ministerial collea' gues and Akali leaders present on tbe stage of tbe " arty's conference from violent demonstrators of the Damdami Taksal and tbe AII­India Sikh Student. Federation (AISSF). It also went into the cbarge, of tbe Taksal and the AISSF that the police fired in· discriminately at tbeir peace· ful procession proceeding to tbe Akali Dal congregation to voke their demands includ' ing tbat for the release of Bhai Mohkam Singh a spokes­man of tbe Tak.al, arrelted a

day earlier while he was on way to Anandpur Sabib.

The committee met represen· tatives of tbe government, tbe Taksal·AISSF combine and m?ny others including managers of tbe Takbt Sri Kesgarh Sabib, Sardar Ajaib Singh. Nibang Baoa Pritam Singh of Budha Dal, Bibi Avinasb Kaur. vice'president, Istri Akali Dal and several eye-witnesses.

Quoting eye-witnesse" the committee's report said tbe protestors were unarmed. How­ever. about 15 persons carried kirpans but were peaceful and non-violent. "The police version is a sbeet of concoction and is far from reality. As a mltter of ract, the police wanted to justify the brutal killings by blaming tbe youth", the committee Celt.

The committee found that the allegation of the police about the attempt of militants on tbe life of the chief minister was false.

, "The bona fides of tbe authori­ties are suspect in so Car as they started indiscriminate firing under tbe pretext of protecting tb. chief minister . The tiring was not only excessive but unjustified considCTing all the circumstances of the happenin,s".

Giving sequence of the event,; the committee, depending on the evidence of manager of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, .aid that after arrest of Bbai Mohhm Singh,

Tbe AkaJi leaders , tbe com· mittee claim~d. did con vey tbe message to the ch ief minister and the latter asked tb, AIS~F leaders tbrou gb Jathedar Mabalon to meet bim at Chandigarb on tbe morning of March 26. Two AISSF nominees we nt to Chandi· garh but were sont hack on tbe prete,t tbat Sardar Barnala was reaching Anandpur Sahib at 10 a.m. Tbe AIS~F represontatives were told by the time the cbief minister reached there tbat any attempt to disrupt the conference would be resisted by tbe govern· ment. According to Sardar Sarbjit Singh, the federation was told that the government had "instructions from the Centre to snub tbe youtb at Hola Mahalia".

Tbe committee alleged tbat tbe p )Iice started throwing tear· gas sbells on tbe giuhering at the Taksal·AISSF conference venue, a little away from wbere tbe Akali meet was being beld, as the "Sikh masses" led. by Sardar Kablon, Sardar Sarbjit Singh, Mrs Bimal Kbalsa and fatber and motber of Satwant Singh, an

21st April, 1986 '

make a living, 'pay their loans and secure mocey for their inpnts and macbinery ? They cannot export these food grains to other coIinfries witbout licence from the centre.

In retaliat ion , Hindus can stop sale' of coal;' oil arid so many other commodities. Can the Sikbsdo withoutihese tbings ? . Sikbs 'outside' Punjab are much more prosperous thaD their brethrel!,. in tqe sJal,~' They would be reluctant to move into Punjab for \lleasure of it and start life de novo. Even if all of tbem are persuaded to migrate, how and wher,e will they be 'accommodat-ed ? "

Even a few thousand fa miJies wbo migrated after · Novembe; 1984riott,.had hard times adjust­ing themsel~es fa new life. They were also a dr,;n on the limited resources of tbe community.

Mass exodus would be a calamity. It will not remove the "sbackles -of Brabmin 'Bania rule". as Sardar Kah10n dreams but will push Sikbs into a life of want and misery.

alleged assassin of Mrs Indira Gandbi, started moving towards tb e Akali Dal conference. The shells affected the police force because of tbe flow of the wind resulting in confusion. Later the police opened fire twice,' first from tbe SIde of tbe Akali Con­ference and later from all direc­tions except the Takht Sri Kes. garh Sabib. The police did .not resort to a lathi·charge. The firing which continued for 45 minutes was not justified by any cannon of law. "All these killings Were brutal murder of peop Ie by tbe polIce for wblcb tbe state is responsible".

The committee was of Ibe view tbat the number of those killed in tbe firing was more than what tbe autborities claimed to be. Seven persons who were included i~ tbe list of injured by the autbontles IVere described as ·unidentified and presumably had dIed. The Taksal'AISSF activists were also sai d to ba ve carried away some .dead persons .

Insisting tbat tbe police should not b lve arrested Bbai Mohkaen Singh, the committee said it was inclined to believe thac tbe state government had taken Ibe action at the Hola Mahalia "to please the Centre and to prove its firmness dealing with the militants" .

Justice Bains told neWimen that the PCFD would probe tbe death of Sardar Navdeep Singh, an AISSF leader of Amritsar in a police encounter. It would also probe the Batala incidents.

He alleged that going by the statemenl of Punjab DGP I .F. Rebeiro on the billist of terror­ists, the 'tate itself had become a terrorist . This proved that there was no rule of la,9\'.

THB "SPOKESMAN" WEBK.L Y

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A THOUGHT FROM GURBANI 'f • If I but please the Lord, it would be my pilgrimaie bath. $ $ -Garu Nanak Dev II _~ ___________ ~ __ 1

"01. 3S No. 34 abe Spolit.sman ~ttklg Price:

'. Re.l{-

VERY POOR SHOW The so-called Sarbat Khalsa, organised within the

Golden Temple complex on Baisakhi day was, by all standJ.rds, a very poor show. Reasons were varied. Its convener, Bhai Gurdev Singb, who calls himself as "acting" Jathedar of Akal Takht, is considered by a vast majority of devoted Sikhs as an usurper of the exalted seat. Also the three organisations behind the convention -Baba Joginder Singh's "united" Akal Dal, Damdami Taksal and All-India Sikh Students Federation-are riven by internal warfare, apart from sniping, with glee, at one another. Each considers itself to be supreme, subordinate to none other. AISSF is cleft into two­Manjit Singh group and Harinder Singh Kahlon band­each having different blckings; It is puerile to contend tbat the police prevented people from reaching the holy complex. It was a silent protest against the objects and methods of the militants;

The resolutions passed betray brazen tempers, immaturity and lack of sagacity. Vituperative language is no substitute for sane argliment' which alone can carry conviction with the masses. As expected, Barnala ministry came in for heavy abuse; its members were denounced as "traitors to the Panth". Not only minis­ters but also all Akali MLAs were threatened with social boycott and gherao in order to force them to resign, as they had "failed to fulfill elections promises." But what right have those, who made a clarion call to boycott the assembly elections, to talk of such promises. No cate­gorical commitment to Khalistan was made but the Sikh masses were a~ked to "break the Brahmin-Bania shackles of slavery and strive for the concept of Rlj Karega Kbalsa". But no one botbered to clarify how this goal is to be achieved and that will b~ to eventual sbape of the political entity.

Demand for full implementation of Anandpur Sahib Resolution was reiterated, but little did they realise that its portion about centre-state relations has already been referred to tbe Sarkaria commission. When this commission invited suggestions and clarifications, no one from the above three organisations appeared before it or submitted memoranda. Appeal to the United Nations Secretary-General to constitute a special court to try all those responsible for "conspiring to annihilate the Sikh community and destroy its culture, religion, history and symbols" is likely to be ignored, as the world body cannot interfere in the internal affairs of a country .

Most significant is the convention's stance on SGPC. Its members have been asked to resign since "their term has expired." Sikhs have been told [0 for­ward to the "Panthic Committee" a panel of names from various SGPC constituencies so that a new SGPC can be formed. This supreme religious body is elected by Sikh voters in three states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and union territory of Cbandigarh. How can a few hand-picked persons equal the colIective will of the community? Is this not an indirect move to capture the funds and platforms of gurdwaras by the backdoor?

3 2 i SlA pril. 1986

The Khalsa Cult and its Symbol-cum-Discipline

By : Lt. Col. Gutebarao Singb (Retd)

All the baptised Sikhs are required to keep the hair of their head and the beard unshorn. Uncut hair are a mark of hoi i­n.ss: all the prophets, founders of great religions. rlsMs, mllnis, etc. have worn long hair. The Guru wanted man to stay as nature had produced him-. cOlLplete man ; that is " .. bat sura! dastar sira,"' meaning per~ feet appearance with a tarban 011. This is nature's lIrinciple that hair arc grown where it was considered necessary-naturally females do not have beards. IINature does not erru and the keeping of long hair "is an indi­cation of living in harmony with the will of God." Unlike Hindu­ism where the sacred thread (janeu) i. permitted to be worn by only a selected classes, women are not included in it, in Sikhism anyone adopting the creed is obliged to keep unshorn hair. irrespective of the caste he may have belonged earlier, and sex.

In various religions other than Sikhism, their follow:r. shave off as a sign of renunciation of the worldly life, e.g. among Hindus and Roman Oalholics. In Sikhism, on the contrary, grahisl (married life) is considered sublime; renunciation is not preached. Thus, even from this angle keep­ing of long hair by Sikhs i, oblig,tory. Sh.ving off one's head jg also considered omionus, as, in certain religions. it is resar· ted to by widows . Among the Afghans, in olden days, shaving off one's beard was considered worst than death. The Sikhs, also. perfer death to shave off their hair. The ca,e of Bhai Taro Singh is one such example. To "shave off his hair," writes Kapur Singh, "is to simulate the sterililY of an aged, bald, decay­ed man, who is no lon~er a link in the chain of the geoerative activity, which is the world." And to catch any person by his hair is considered dishonourable. Manu says: "Even should a man be in wrath, let h.im never seize another by the hair When a brahmin commits an offenco for which the members of other castes are liable to death, let his hair be shaved off as sufficient punishment. "

Prof. Puran Singh considers that "The lightning spark is concealed in the .... 001 of the wandering cloud in the sky and the life spark of tbe Guru i. hidden io this sheaf of hair." To the American Sikhs, "The hair is a conductor for energy and the brain is a store-house of energy; by keeping the hair up and cover­ing the head, .this energy is kept contained." Socially, a Sikh with

unshorn hair feels ashamed or begging. For tbis reasoD, when­during the 1947 holocaust they were uprooted from their ances-· tr.! lands in Pakistan and driven to India no one f<ll so low as to beg for his living. Similarly. a Sikh chewing a pan or smoking. looks ugly.

Above all, it is the Guru', holy ord<r to keep tbe hail" unshorn and cover these with a turban. This gives a Sikh d.stinc· tiveness and an identity that can­not be concealed anywbere, in aDY gathering howsoever large it may be. "This separate identity inculcates courage and firmness ... Fosters a sense of loyalty and steadfastness." It is the first token of the Sikh faith, a pledge of dedication to the Guru. It is an insignia, a standard. a flag of the fraternity of the Khalsa, and is the most important of all the kakkas. Dhai Nand Lal, a ireat scholar at the darbar of Guru Gobind Singh, writes tbat with­out five kakkas no Sikb is a Sikh; and without hair unshorn tbe other four put together are of little significmce.

The bearded Sikh with a. turban. in the western mind ba~ become the prototype of an Indian. writes Rober Trumbell, "probably becauso Sikbs have travelled almost everywhere and are recognisable at once as Com ­ing from India. Actmlly. tbey are' a tiny minority; there are at least half again as many Chri,tians in Indian a. there are Sikhs, but tbe latter, by tbeir ability and indus­try. have made themselves promi­nent and powerful in Indian life. Besides, their appearance malce& them conspicuous, in India no less than abroad." Because of their conspicum.lDess~ "there is a general tenden"y to multiply the acts, good or bad, of a Sikh hy all the members of the commu­nity. If a few non-Sikh. are notorious for their bad deeds they are not called Hindu 01'

Christian evil-doers, but evil act~ of, say 'X' Singh or 'Y' Singh are announced as the acts of Sikhs and not as those of 'X' or 'Y. This is also true of go()d acts."

These days many Sikhs have started discarding their hair on

very flimsy grounds such as IOcum­berane<, waste of time and so on. The most common excuse put forw. rd is tb. t a doctor has recommended it, which;s untrue in most of the cases. Such people are not true to their faith, are' not loyal to their Guru . Gunk . Gobind Sing bas said:

He alone is my Sikh wbo ·lives: according to the rules gf the Khalsa;

T i' E "S!'OKFSMAN" WBBKLY

He is my owrlDrd and I am his disciple,

A"d as regards the modem women) Puran SiDgh says that she has "lost most of ber soul by shingling her hair and putting an odoro:.ls reed in her rose-bud­like lips .

The hair i3 a sign of self­res Dect and matu.ritv. lu this c0r: i<ection here is an anecdote narratod by ("apt. Bhag Singh: During the '\v .:>rl d 'h~ar Two, on the North Afric. front, in order to prevent soldiers from going to red-l ight ~reas. sp :o cial official broth:lo were opened in Cairo (Egypt). Here prophylactic treat­ment was provided for to protect the soldier from tbe V.D. On seeing a long queue of Indian soldiers at one ,uch brothel, the Captain's friend Bertie Gordon, a Jews, asked him-

"Mr. Singb , I doo' t s<e any Sikh soldier here. Do the Sikhs have a separate bro­thel1

"No 1" replied <::apt. Bhag Singh. "A Sikh is conspicu­ous because of his beard and turban and 80 (does not like to be seen at such a place."

A fter a pause his friend said: "i understand wby your prophet ordained the wear­ing of the long hair."

When someone argued that Sikh ism would flourish if keeping long hair was made optional, Prof. Puran Singh said "how foolish it would be to preach a leligion and to demand whole herds on compromised principles I" He further said that "Takhg away the Sikh's hair is to cut him off from his intensely reactive inspiralioD which has been so far a source of strength to the Hindu also. Tbe disap­pearance of the Sikh as such meaDS the loss of a great national as'et of power and inspiration for Hindu himself." " Therefore", writ~s Gurrn:lkh Nihal Singh, " tb. :: ;-e u0es ililt appear to be any doubt that self·realisatioo is po!)sible witllOut keeping long hair and rcc·, i ving the Si kh baptism. But what may not be aboye doubt is the continuance of Sikh culture and tradition of sacrifice and service and undaunt­ed courage, bravery and qualities of leadership ",sociated with the great name of the Khalsa, without the baptism of the sword and observing the forms, symbols and discipline of an Amrildharl Sikh. My personal view is that, in this age of communal bigotry and rivalry, particularly, forms and symbols are necessary for all that is va luable in Sikh history, tradi­tion and culture.

Kanga (comb) This has relalionship with bair

and is used for keeping the hair neat and clean. The combing of

hair is required to be done tw;ce daily. cEvery Sikh, w bether man or woman, is required to keep a separate comb of his/her own. It should be tugged in one's hoir so that it is readily available wheu needed. pygienically too it is a good practice, it ore vents head or hair diseases from spreading to otbers.

The practice of regularly combing of hair inculcates in an individual the quality of devotion, steadfa9lness and persevesence. The Lacedaemonians (Spartans) always "adorned their hair before risking their lives", in the fashion of their forefathers.

When the Persians under Xerxes attacked Greece and arrived at Hot Gates, preparing 10 atrack, the Spartans were busy combing tbeir long hair. The Great King, on learning about . it laugbed at this . He asked for an explanation from the deposed Lacedaemopian king Demaratus. The latter answered " with due deference but with Spartan stubborness, that 'these men are coroe to flight with uS for the passage, and for tbat they are preparing".

Kara (steel bangle) The steel bangle is worn on

the right wrist. It is a symbol of restraint and reminds the wearer that the hand is to be used in righteousness . To Teja Singh, it isua sign of sternness and cons­traint". Prof. Puran Singh writes that "when r toss my arm up in the air and the iron ring shines, I am reminded of His wrist that wore it-one exactly like this. In this arm, by some stray gleam of the iron ring on my wrist, His?" And to Duncan Greenless, a Kara is an uindication of courage on a 'steel fist' ,. .

Kara, like the bride'. ivory bangles (choora), is a sign of solwg (married life), as in Sikh­ism, the relationship between God and tbe man is considered to be like the one between a husband and wife. Thus one wed­ded to the Almigbty never becomes widow - is always a sohagan.

It also signifies a complete, unbroken circle symbolising, according to Mrs. Wylam, "the unbroken continuity of exis­tence". And because of its being without a beginning or an end, writea Kapur Singh, a Sikh must "aim to be, with whole creator, as the objective of his compas­sion and activities". It is a symbol of determination, strict discipline and a constant remin­der of a Sikb's dedication to the woes taken at the time of taking pahul. Then, iron is a common taboo against evil spirits; it is suppostd to protect bumans against all spells the world over.

Guru Gobind Singh has applied the ~pithet of pure steel to God. He says that he had tbe

4

protection of the all steol. Tbese days karas made of gold have come into vogue-it is a fashion; whereas a steel kara is Guru's injunction.

Kacbba (underwear) A p,ir of shorts, an active

dress and also to cover the nudity. Symbolically, writes N . Ray, it stands "in bet~'een unbridled sexual indulgence on the one hand and continence on the other".

Kirpan Guru Gobind Singh included

kirpan (sword) as the fiftb kakka and made it obligatory for every baptised Sikb to be armed with it. This weapon is a symbol of dignity, of freedom, of "self­respect embodied in the right (for all Sikhs) to bear arms". It also sym bolises bravery, devotion and self· sacrifice Guru Gobind Singh "withdrew his followers frOiD that undivided attention which their fathers had given to the plough, the loom and the pen, and be urged tbem to regard tbe sword as their. principal stay in world". Guru Gobind Singb says: " 0 ye m;sguided people the true goddess is tbis. This can work ",;rocles. This will end your mi.eries. This will give you power and liberty in your ' land peace in your - homes. Come, therefore, and be its de.votee". He addressed the sIVJrd as under :-

Thou art the subduer of king­doms, tbe destroyer of the armies of tbe wicked,

In the baale field thou ador­nest the brave.

Thy arm is infrangible, Thy brighteness refulgent,

Thy radiance and splendour dazzle like the sun.

Thou bestowest happiness on the good;

Thou terrifiest the evil, thou scatterest sinners.

I seek thy protection. Hali ; l,a il to the creator of the

worid, The saviour of Creation, my

cberisher. Hai: to thee, 0 sword! A weapOD of bOih offence and

defence, a kirpan is mainly for self-defence fer destroying evil and tbe oppressor, and to bring solace to tbc oppressed. It is not a charm to be tied at the turban­ends or fixed on a kan gao It is a weapon of "open combat govern­ed by ethical principles whereas • dagger is associated with secret attack, or sudden defence oppos­ed to it' . Thus, the Sikh way of life is governed by etbic,. The kirpan has never been used for the spread of Sikhism; Dot even when tbe Khalsa was all powerful in the Puujab. Even to-day, to honour a person he is presented with a sword. a ceremony with universal recognition. And in the Sikh ",das (prayers) Bhagauti, i.e. sword is mentioned fi"t of all.

21st April, 1986

Prof. Puran Singh says tbat "Kirpan is a gift from the Guru". He further .ads tbat "It i. mind made intense by the love of the

Guru The Sikh is to have a sword­like mind". He further empha­siEOs lhat it is "the symbol orthe myriad personality of the Guru's Sikh, that knows no defeat, no disappointment, the personality tbat is unconquerable in its hope, in its spiritual radiance" . ODe who wears Guru's sword becomes OIa spontaneoos man fuily grown in His Spirit".

" In the atomic age"J writes K.V, Adv.ni, "Guru Gobind Singh ji's message of taking recourse to sword to mitigate human misery. is not out of tune. The brute in man is getting still \'\Iorse. There js only recipe ... wise and discreet use of sword ... as sword is the protector of saints, scour age of the wicked . . .. as shown in the Bachittar Notak",

' ~ These" writes Prof. Puran Singh. "are not the symbols of a reJigi on , nOE essential rites of any religious discipl in e. Theyare the signs of our being 'wedded wo:nen'. They are tbe wedding gifts frorn tbe Bridegroom. He gave all tbese to us, and they are sacred. Superstitions 1 Yes. But which love hatb not and where at all hath love not ' its own supers­titions 7"

This uniform not only freed the Si khs c-ompletely from Hindu­iim, but also infused a new life in them with exemplary character and undying spirit for the service of the community and country. Since a Sikh is under the "love­shackles" of his Guru he cannot misuse his weapon , his body or mind. Tbe Kbalsa, as says Guru Gobind Singh, is God's own contingent, i. the copy of Him who resides in it and so long as it remains independent, free from the Brahminical influeoce, the Guru's everything belongs to tbe Khalsa . But when he follows the BrahiDinical way of life Kbalsa loses tbe trust of his Guru.

Religion is a personal affair so far as its selection is concern­ed. But once one has become a member of a faith, his /her actions refle ct not only on the indiVidual but ou the whole community, e.g. a Sikh has done this. Under a country's law, a law·breaker is liable to punishment. Similarly, societies take action against any of their members who violates society~s rules. So, a person disregarding commands of his / her religion /is equally dese rving of punishment. Regimentation i8 essential to impose and maintain discipline in a society. For exam­ple, traffic control is imposed in ord" to bring orderliness and avoid accidents ; it in no way is the infringement of one' s indepen­dence or liberty . Therefore, one must adbers to the tenets of one's faith.

THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY . ilst April, 1986

'In Punjab, national stakes are very high' 'The c~uses of tbe trouble are botb poUtical and economic'

Tbe is tbe text of tbe speech delivered by Sardar Surjit Singb Barnala, cbief minister of Punjab, at the meeting of the National Integration Council beld in New I)elbi recently;

I intend to speak straight from the heart. To an average Punjabi, the unity and integrity of India is not the subject of empty ritual or hollow rehetoric. Nor is communal amity a mere slogan to be paid lip service to. These are Ihe existential issues forcing bold choices and demand­ing high acts of statesmanship on the part of those on wbom tbe resp6nsibility to lead and decide had devolved. For us, national unity is a creed.. a commitment and a source of pride. It derives from our "perience and that, perhaps, is why soine of us react with some annoyance at being asked constantly 10 reaffirm our ~ommilment to nationalism.

The period between the sign­ing of the memorandum of settle­ment and its implementation is a very sensitive pbase, for suspic· ions and mistrust still lurk. At times, these bave taken violelit forms. A section of tbe press and some leaders of public opinion often, either mistakenly or other­wise, asserl that tbe implementa­tion of Ibe memorandum bas nothing to do with peace in Punjab, since tbose ' committilig violence in the .tate do not even recognis~ the accord. This is a surprisinaly naive argument. The accord was signed not (to please or appease the terrorists but to isolate them and any setback to the accord is ba.ically a setback

Some leaders of public opinion often assert that the implementation of the memorandum has nothing to do with peace in Punjab, since those committing violence in the state do not even recognise the accord. The accord was signed not to please or appease terrorists, but to isolate them and any setback to the accord is basically a setback to this process,

But there are general issues on whicb, I think, we need to create a ne w national awareness. One of tbese is our intolerance of ideas and opinions different from tbose we cberisb.

Someti mes, national opinion is so worked up by illinfromed reports that ev.ry difference of opinion is regarded as seditious and religious separateness is confused witb separatism.. In tbe end, "unity" gets confused with totally lifeless and undemo­cratic uniformity. As Dr S. Radhakrisbnan used to say, "What India needs is harmony, not uniformity." We bave opted for a vibrant and open socio­political set-up, in line with the glorious traditions of our coun­try. Sometimes, we are less than fair to our own convictions about our democratic option.

to. this process . If the accord IS not Iinked·with peace, what is it linked with?

My government is not trealing violence in Punjab as a · super­ficial phenomenon and it cannot have superficial remedies. A comprehensive political and administrative strategy has been

evolved by us to end the very roots of this violence. While tbe state governinent is determined to deal firmly with those trying to talce law into their own hand., we need tbe support of the entire country in improving the politi­cal climilte of tbe ·state. In Punjab, We are fighting the battle for the wbole coilntry. The nation hao a vested iilterest in a strong, prosperous and peaceful Punjab. His in this light that our plea for a bold political initiative to end the agony of previous years must be understood .

Unfortunately, an essentially Cent~-state issue in Punjab sometImes assumes a communal colour. What is worse, some so­called community ieaders sud­denly appear ou lhe seene to justify theun .. ise a~t3 of mein­bet'll of their own ¢6l1lli1uBiries. Collilililbali.m is iii fact . jilst perverse religion, and we ha'Ve witnessed various forms of i~ in the country. There can indeed 'be no justification for any com­munalisin. To describe ihe cOm­munlism of members 'of one's own community as a' "backlash" is indeed to evad'c the issue by indulging iii a petverse logic. There cali b. lio ,Uib'is for com­munal behaviour. Uiilt~l. enligb­tened people stand tip to con­demn the communnlism of members of their own sects, We will not get· very far in solving the issue. Iii Punjab, tbe .trongest indictment of mindless violence has come from my , own party. UnfortuuatelY, leaders 01 public opinion from other communities have never been specific in con­demning the activities of some

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other communal organisations_ This creates problems for us .

It pains me to say that our decision to release innocent youtbs nas been grossly mis­understood. We bave evidence t6 show that, ex-cept on. or two, nOne of those released by us took part in violent acts after tbeir release. On the contrary, some of those released themselves fe'll victim to violence. But national opi~iou is so misinformed by a sectIOn of the press that everyone believes tb.t people roleal<ed by US bave gone on a wailton kiUing 'pree .

On·the otber hand, if we took so me steps to rehabilitate the victims of tbe events of tbepast few years, we also .. ent out ot our way to help the vicUins of terrori.t violeDce. We bave already spent over Rs 5 croies in tbe direction and have annoWlC­ed another .package of relief for them. The victims 'of terrorist crime are beio,g e"tended the .aine facilities a. are being. given to the vicHms of anti-Sikh riots of November, 1984.

Ih Punjab, nation~1 stakes Me very high . The causes of troub1~ ate both political and economic. A new awakening on Punjab , is called for. The country needs· lEt understand Punjab much htiler than it does now. Punjab's ilitert- . sts are identical with those of th., country. So is our de.tiny. A common destiny beckons u. to rise above our narrow political consideration •. I have no doubt that every Indian will bearken to this de.liny. A. ever, WI in Puniab wiH be the first to do so.

In Punjah. the past four or five years have admittedly been critical. We always held that the problem there is essentially not one of law and order, although its manifestations certainly acquire a law and order dimen· sion . The nucleus of the crisis is political. The Prime Minister, Shri Rajiv Gandhi, fully appre­ciated our perception of the problem and, in the Punjab accord, took a major politi"".) initiative to solve tbe tangle in a truly democratic manner. '

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1 HE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 6 21st April, 1986

The, nucleus oof Punjab crisis is political New awakening on Punjab is called for

Revival of terrorism some­time after the popular govern­ment of Sardar Barnala ca me into being has posed . a grave danger for the state and the country. There was a fervent hope tbat extremism will end after the installatiou of a popular ministry, But what we find i, that the situation has been deteriorating , day by day, inspite of the Centre's fuli support and intensification of para-military forces in the state. There is an Urdu couplet Marz badta gia jun jun dwa kie (tbe disea.e continued aggravatmg with every addition in the treatment). Since a few days it has taken on horrendous and unprecedented dimensions,

In order to undersland the situation and find out the truth w'e need to analytically examine the 'broad but tragic events of the last aboilt four years. Then only we can ilnderstand and grasp the root· cause of the revivai of tbe terrorism. The Akali Morcba was launched somewbere in August, 1982 and till the end of 1 ~83 it was quite peaceful. Many a time political leaders, wbicb count, had approached for geuin, the Punjab tsngle resolved and as per the st~tement. of Sa~dar Harkisban Smgh Sur)eet dectstons were taken as many as three times, but each time unfortunate­ly the late Prime Minister Mrs, Gandhi had backed out. Ultimate­ly she bad decided to take resort to Oper~lion Blues,tar and tbe Army bad stormed the Golden Temp!e, besides other about 38 'historical gurudwaras in Punjab.

0:0 seversl occasions prior to this tragi c event Sant Longowal had natf"d in 'categorical term ~I Let us make it clear once and for all that the Sikhs have no designs to g~t away from India in any manner. What tbey simply want is that they should be allow­ed to live witbin India as Sikbs, free froro all direct and indirect interference and tampering with their religious way of life" · Tbe Sant had openly stated tbat he bad never demanded secession.

In a pampblet sent to mem­bers of Parliament Sant Longowal had etplained the Akali stand and stated "India is multi­lir.gual, multi-religious and multi­national land. In such a land a microscopic minority like the Sikhs , has genuine forebodings, tbat like Buddhism and Jainism earlier, they may also lose their identity in the vast ocean of the over·whelming majority of Hindus". He had also cautioned the Centre that if the matter

By : Sardar G.S. Chadha, Advocate

regarding their cbarter of demand, lVas postponed iudefi­nitely it ma y ,bift into the bands of hardliners, i.e" Bbindran­wala's group. Since no decision was taken by tbe Centre, this hardliner Sant started tbe game of extremism so as to put press' nrc on tbe government, though in his bit· list many Sikhs, being responsible for bumiliating and torturing the Sanfs men, were also included,

, During the Bluestar Opera­tion besides tbe Sant and bis colleagues thousimds of innocent perso]!s, wbo bad assemble,d there to celebrate tbe auspicious occa­sion 9f Gurpurh, were gun]!ed down ,or ;labbed. Some of tbem ' are still in Jodbpur Sail and for their honourable release there is an acute resentment among the Sikh youths. Tbey are angry with tbe Barnala ' Government, since it could ' not successfully prevail upon the Centre to rel ease tbose detenus. It will not be out of place to mention ' here tbat Centre's weak policy of not implementing tbe Punjab Accord has emboldened the Sikh youths, wbo ,are categorized as extre­mists, and terribly weakened the position of Sardar BarDala. , Because of the tragic events

both in the pre-Bluestar and post­Bluestar periods tbat tbe Sikbs felt alienated and their psycbe was badly wounded. As eminent politician and M.P.(BJP) Shri laswant Singh bad stated-

, "It is a part of tbe very central core of tbe Sikh being. It is not jo,\ an edifice or a collec­tion of buildings. Every stone there is tbe brick',vork of tbe Sikb history itself. Tbe rest of u. Ind ians are unable to view it in that light and see it only _ as having become a seat of the terrorist botb saddens and frigh­tens me, Why blame the Sikhs alone as an Indian I should bave been equally revolted by its earlier defilement; by political machinations of the most objec­tionable kind of self-interest, predominating over tbe interest of our peop!,e as a wbole. That we still do not do so is our collective failure, not tbat of the Sikhs alone" ... Surely tbere is sometbing gravely wrong with the Hindus if they do not feel shocked and bewildered with wbat ba~ bappened in tbe Golden Temple. I do very strongly feel tbat this is ODe occasion wbich perhaps best examplifies the phrase 'Physician heel thyself'. ' Let us stop and reffect for II moment on tbis businesl of beal-

ing toucb. How con those very Again she has commen ted: hands that are blooded now "Sikbs being dragged out of undertake such a task? (Indian their vehides, trains, houses Express dated 3-7-84). and ,et on fire, is not a riot.

Post Bluestar Period Tbese killers are roaming free. The first crack-down was tbe I f there is a law for Sikbs,

combing operation launcbed by wby is it not imposed on tbe armed forces, wberein tbey Hindus? Tbis is a valid ques-had tortured, hilmiliated and tion and no one bas yet eliminated tbe Sikh youtb indi,- answered it because the killen criminately. Being afraid of bigb- are indeed roaming free". banded atrocities of the arined 'There is every reason to (orces in Punjab villages most of Believe tbat reprisal Could the youth who could survive, bad have been prevented and escaped across tbe border, wb'ere scores of innocent lives saved as alleged tbey had left with no if these criminals had been option but allow themselves to stripped of officiai patronage be subdued by tbe authorities of and brought to ju.tice". that country. By now it has a'!so Sikh Faith Attacked come In the press that such migrated youth was trained in Here it would be quite perti­Pakistan sent back to India from nent tei mention that ' symbols, time to time to create trouble wbether religious or secular, bave and destabilize the administration a' deep spiritual life of tbeir own of Punjab state. which no pow"r may s)lbvert ' or Post-Assassination Period desecrate without causing great

Mrs Gandhi was assassi)lated anguish aDd revulsion. Why a unfortunately by two of ber own piece of masonry, a relic, a Icroll body' guards who bappened to be or a flag gets invested with Sikhs, on 31st October, 1984. emotion and sentiment is difficult

to explain or justify in terms of That was the time of calamity for teason, but tbe fact remains tbat the wbole Sikh community. Tbousands of Sikhs at Delhi and any insult to it Can unleash dark various otber parts of tbe country energies. It is most unfortunate were brutally massacred and their ' ' wben tlVO communities indulge

in this kind of violation or properties were .. t on fire. Inno- desecration _ the burning cf Sikh cent Sikb men, women and child- scriptures and temples or tbe ren were dragged out of their houses, buses, and trains, merci- planting of tbo ,evered beads of lessly beaten and burnt alive by cows in Hindu places of worship, mobs (Hindus). Most of the but when tbe police administra­widows who filed affidavits tion becomes a party to this kind before tbe Jll Itice Misra Commis- of vaudalism out of its own fai­sian bad duly identified the lure tbe issue assumes prodigious killers of their husbands and proportions. There was a reliable

information tbat weapons were children during tbe anti-Sikh taken inside the Golden Temple. riots. In fact the use oftbe word "fiat is a misnomer". But bow? The explanation waR

tbat they were carried , in the Nayantar. Sebgal'. comments in her article in the /fzdian Express trucks o~ ration. But a ,.uestion

may anse as to who allowed captioned "Learning to love each other") is worth noting. They their entry without search . It

must bave been done under the are as under:-instruction of bigher authorities.

"Some newspaper headlines T - d -go out of their way to 'pot- erronsm aD Its tackling light the Sikh community, a8 Terrorism is reprehensible, in "Sit Sikbs held for whetber resorted to by desperate assault", whereas we do not individuals. organized groups ' or see 'Hindu bousebreaker by tbe state. When "black laws" arrested' or 'Gang of Muslim (a term used by some jurists) are tbieves beld'. Another ·Sikh ~nacted to. terrorize a commuuity reader points out tbat tbe Into submiSSion, and tbe macbi­November 1984 massacre of nery of oppression is given a free the Sikhs has been mistakenly hand it creates conditions for called riots. A riot, be says, spreading terrorism. is a battIe between ' more or There is no more a dangerouB less evenly matched communi- person than the one who bas been ties. 'A Sikh running witb humiliated, bunted down, tortur­his turban under his arm and ed and then punisbed for a crime hundreds of Hindu running he has had not committed. Such after him with iron rods i. a person is' brutalized in the not a riot". process and if be bappens to be

TfIB "SPOKESMAN" WBBKllY

in the prime of his }outh, the route to terrorize opens up, and the passage is swift and inexora­ble. It is most probably due to burt feelings of a youth with a deep anguish, besides the sense of rescue from army men', atr6ci­ties during the combing opera­:tions.

'\~ Sucb youths, who had escaped l·to Pakistan had fallen an 'easy

prey for exploitation by that conn try . They were then trained militarily there and sent to Punjab from time to time to create tronbles and destsbilis. the government. The nnmber of such terrorists is very small, but they believe in the idealogy of 'do or die ' . There is a belief with some people that some of the terrorists recently arrested are ones who were released uncondi­tionally loon after the Bamala Goveroment took Over.

This notion is not fully cor­reot, because the clearance was given by the Bains Commission

.after fully screening and as aUeged by Sardar Barnala a very few {If them had mixed np with terrorists. Some of them had to j~in that group under compnl-s.on. as tbey could not procure employment and start their lives afresh. Hence this is not purely a law ana order problem, b:lt it is mainly a political ' and economic problem.

Terrorism is not confined to Punjab only, thougb for every ·ca~e, .whether trifling or . big, ctlme IS associated with a Sikh by the media. It is a fact that even under the ordinary circums­tances two to tbree murders per day for a state like Punjab is not somethi ng uoexpected and should not ca~se a worry. Even if people ·commlt such heInOUS crimes out of revenge the media treats them ' as acts of terrori,ts . What about states like U.P., Bihar Gujrat and Tripura etc, where' the rate of murders is far more than tbat of Punjab but it is causing no anx.ety. In fact. remedy should .b~ prescribed after diagnosing the d.sease properly. The solution of the problem can not be secured by always beating a drum of batred against a particular com­munity.

In. a democracy if bealthy ·trad.tlOns are to be restored it is imperative to create an atmos~ pbere of communal harmony. H IS most nnfortunate that instead of promoting peace more cleava­ges and divisions are being created between two communities in Punjab. Every action is follow­ed by its reaction. Outwardly leaders of political parties, which connt, raise loud slogans of nnity and integrity, but in actual prac­tice none is lagging behind in arousing feelings of batred overtly or covertly and Whether it is Pnnjab or ontside for even a ·triHing matter where a difference {lccnrs in any business dealing . between a Sikh and a Hindu it

turns into a scume and then a communal clasb. Both the parties comforably forget their cordial relations of the past and cen­turies old fraternity is crushed into pieces. Thus political neta. (leaders) are out to make fool of us, as they are mainly interested in their political games. In yonr practical experience yon mnst have noticed that sometimes smaIl issues of today become major problems of tomorrow. Had Mrs. Gandhi decided the old demands of Sikhs grievances without indefinitely pOSlponing those problems would have cer­tainly not taken such a serious and horrible turn. and the situaion is Punjab wonld have been entirely different.

Role of press and the discrimination with Sikhs

Some responsible political leaders hold an opinion that there is DO discrimination shown to Sikbs, as Sikhs are prosperous in every Dook and corner of the conntry. Sikhs by and large have never believed .in "KhaHstan". People know fu1Jy well whose crea­tion was Sant Bhinderanwala and who had brought Dal Khalsa into e.istence. I need not disclose the promoters' names here. The media in India has done a great injustice to the Sikhs by black­painting their image which was hitherto glorified with innnmera­ble sacrifices rendered for tbe

7

canse of ' the freedom ' of the conntry. It is considered to recapitnlate the statistics by the following data: - (during the freedom movement, before parti­tion)

215t April. 1986

ment sbould be supported by all political panies, irrespective of their ideologies. This was a very appropriate decision. However a very tough task is ahead of Sardar Barnala. in as much as, if

Nature of punishment Total Sikhs perceotage Persons hanged 121 93 78% Life imprisonment 2646 2197 81 % Massacre of Jallianwala Bagh 1300 799 61 % Budge Budge Ghat 113 67 60% Kuka movement 91 91 100%. ---- ---- ----

Total 4271 3247 76%. The holy scriptures (Guru

Granth Sahib) has condemned terrorism of any soct. Guru Tegh Bahadur (Ninth Guru), was a saviour of Hindns and a martyr ' for the cause of the nation. One of his semons is ' " Beh kahu ko det neh, neb Beh· manat aan" (yon shonld neither terrorise any body,'nor you should feel frigh­tened from any terror). A true Sikh of the Guru can never kill any innocent person. People who are indnlging in senseless crime. must be doing so under some instigation of foreign elements and snch people can not be called true Sikhs. That is why such persons are being condemned by aU right thinking people.

This serious problem was debated by the National Integra­tion Council held on 7th April at Delhi and it was decided by consensus that Barnala's Govern-

he take. any drastic step to flnsh out the activists of AlSSF and Damdami Taksal he would be running the risk of rift in hi. party. The group of Sardar Badal and Sardar Tohra are likely to oppose Sardar Barnala on this grave issue.

Moreover, the so called extre­mists bave a logical ground to occnpy a small portion of the Temple and complex's premises for carrying out Kar-seva being condncted by a committee of five members. Thus, this . unexpected and tedious situation has posed a grave problem for Sardar Barnala, Further, had Sardar Badal joined the cabinet, Barnala', goveromemt would have surely accomplished more and viable stabilished !I:ore and viable stability. There is a contest for number-2 position between Sardar Bal want Singh and Sardar Parkash Singh Badal. None has yielded so far, whleh is most unfortunte, It seems that none is prepared to do some sacrifice for the cause of the country and the Punjab state.

Some Suggestions 1. It is being repeatedly averr­

ed by the authorities that 9 ont of the 11 clanses "of the Accord" have been implemented, but those clauses have not been olarified. One of them pertains to Justice Misra Commission' enquiry into anti-Sikh riots. Unless the cul­prit', who are roaming freely and fearlessly, are brought to book and punished there cannot be peace,in the minds of the victims. If thIS deep-rooled anguish is allowedto persist for any inde­limte time peace can not be restored.

2. Chandigarh should be handed over to Punjab immedia­tly.

3. Detenus in Jodhpur jail or elsewhere against whom no case is established should be reieased· forthwith. Ri,hts of minorities (Sikhs) should be fully protected and confidence in their security ontside Punjab should be restor­ed, so that mass· scale migration to Punjab is stopped.

4. More avennes of employ­ment for the yonth ~n Punjab should be opened . .

THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

Improvement on PUnjab trlmt, says report Just two days after the National Integration CouDcil discussed

the unusual spurt in terrorist viQlence in Punjab in an emergency Be,sion, the annu.l report of the Union Home Ministry says that "the law and order situation showed an improvement with the sIgn­ing of the Punjab and Assam accords and the holding of elections; free of violence, in both these States."

The annual reports of Central Ministers, released when the respective budgetary demands are due to be discussed in tbe Lok Sabha, are supposed to cover the outgoing financial year. The

· 8

Heme Ministry's report, made available now, tbus relates to tbe period, April \. 1985 to Marcb 31,1986.

Going by the realities on the ground, the year ended on a disturbing note. An offici·al document prepared for NIC meeting did not mince words about the Punjab situation. "The situation in Punjab," it said, "poses a grave challenge which has to. be met at a.II ' levels through a multi-pronged effort. ThIs casts a speCIal responsl, bility on leaders of all political parties . It is felt that terrorism-at: present being indulged in by a sm.1l number of misguided per',?~s­po,es a serious challenge to communal harmony and relIgIOU.· tolerance. If such activities escalate, it is likely to threaten the law' and order structure."

On this Baisakhi Day. 181 us sow harmony Be reap peace.

~' "

Let the seed of brotherhood blossom into the flower of peace and prosperity

and 'brlng forth the harvest of unity . . Let us aU fight the blight of

subversion and join hearts and minds in a bond of love. ; ,

..0. ••

--

--

PU8UC R~I,ATlONS

PUNJAB

Bring back the song and dance . Peace and prosperity to Pw1jab

-

THI! "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

LeJ-ters to ~ ~

, ~ the Editor '

Terrorism in Punjab Sir, -The killings of innoce.nt

'persons deserve to be condemned in strongest terms. The heart bleeds to read the headlines of the newp.pers and head hangs down in shame to find that a man has turned to be a beast devoid of any sympathy and valne for human life.

The cult of violance in Punjab is, however, of recent growth, the why and how of which has already b~en debated quite ex­tensively. \Vitbout~ therefore, going into the causes, we would

",nly suggest th.t Ihe ch~lIange can be effectively met and the evil of terrorism. C!ln be rooted out with the combined efforts of all the Punjabis ir respective of their religi on, caste and creed.

Tbe hard fact, however, is that there is nil rapport between Sikhs and Hindus and even .amongst the Sikhs laemselves. The t WQ important segments of ·the Sikh community e.g. AISSF ·and Damdami Taksal do not see ·eye to eye with the ruling Akali Dal party and trade aliegations agalost each other. Th. terrorisls naturally take advantage of the .infighting and strike at will Unm indful of the fact whether tho victims are Hindus or Sikbs. The sale inten tion of tbe terrori­·sts seems to creat. ill-will, distrubances and destabilisation ,in the state.

Recently we had met Ihe representatives of All India Sikh Students Federation and Dam­dami Taksal at Amritsar. They

·condemned vioJence and terrora

ism in no uncertain terms and categorically stated that violence 'IS against Ihe basic tenets of the Sikhism, wbich are dearer to ihem than anything else. Accord­ing to tbem a true Sikh is duty ·bound to protect tbe innocents

rather than killing them. During discussions. however,

it was not difficult to mark deep sense of hurt, .ngaish and aliena­tion writ large on their faces which Was allegedly the result of thoughtless and senseless actions of tbe Central Government inclu­ding unprecedented oppression let loose on the Sikhs and their womenfolk by the army during and after the Operation Bluestar. They are angry and emotional young men ha" ing a i3.rge num~ ber ofsympathi,ers and supporters in the villages of Punjab. They are, no doubt, against the poli­cies of the Government but are not anti-national.

We are of the firm view that they can be won over with tact, sympathy and love and not with the threats of violence. We, therefore, appeal to the Central as also Punjab Government to be magnanimous and start a dialo­gue with the representatives of these organisation; either directly or indirectly, listen to their grievances and try to remove the genuine one_~. Enlistment of their cooperation and support is absolutely nece"ary to crush the ugly head of terrorism in Punjab.

The Government should not stand on false prestige at such a critical juncture affecting Ihe integrity and security of the whole country . If oaf Government did not hesitate. to talk to Laldenga of Mizos and extremists of . Naga­land who had been fighting with our army for so many years then what can be the hitcb in talking to tbe representatives of the organisations who are neither seccessionists nor anti-nationals.

- B. S. MaiDee, Advocate - G.S. Chadha, Atlvocate

-Lt.Col. MaDobar Singh (Retd .) New Delhi

RSS's Chief Advice Sir,-RSS Chief Balassheb

Deoras' advice to the majority -communitv in the nation not to nurse hatred against the wbole Slkb CommuDity because of the foul aDd violent deeds of a -misguided section thereof. is both timely and ,agacious.

He has rightly described tbe Sikhs as an integral part of the Hindu s0ciety, and emphasized with admirable conviction that eveD the law in India includes Buddhists, Iains and Sikhs among the Hindus. (The Sikhs have DO personal law of their own, the Hindu personal law is equally applicable to all Sikhs).

There is not an iota of doubt that the Sikhs are part and parcel of the great Hindu society. They are at ODce an off sboot and the sword-arm of the Hindus. It is no secret that the Khalsa Panth

was instituted by tbe 10th Guru (Gohind Singh) in the 17th cen­tury primarily for tbe protection of the Hindus who constituted a persecuted and oppresed majority under the intolerant and despotic regime of the later Moguls. It was in fact at the instance of the Kashmiri Pandits, that the ninth· Guru (Tegb Bahadur) had offered himself as a sacrifice to stem the tide of forcible conversion of Hindus iuto Muslims.

A touching demonstration of tbi, fraternal bond between the Sikhs and Hindus is the daily presence in tbousands of Hindu devotees and pilgrims at tbe Guru's Shrine in Delhi 's historic Ch.ndni Chowk (Gurudwara Sisganj) . It was at this site that nuru Tegh Bahadur was behead­ed in 1675 at the o~ders of Emperor A. urangzeb.

9'

Ti es of history, c('ImmGn cul· ture, language and kin9ttip bind the two communities in Punjab into a common brotherhood. Traditi onally , Hindus bave pro­tected Sikh, and Sikhs have pro­tected Hindus. In many a HlDdu family, in Punjab, tbe eld"t son will be found to be a Sikh. In fact Pandit Madan Mohan Mala-

21st April, 1986

viya was so throughiy impressed wir.h the spirit of sacrifice and the indomitable courage of the Sikhs at Iaito (in Nabha) and at Iallianwalla Bagh tb at he openly w;,hed there were a Sikb in every Hindu family Ihroughout the country,

-Ompraka.h Kohli Bombay

Uncmlled for Criticism Sir,-It is unfortuDate that

Punjab is witnes!>ing violence even after a massive mandate in favour of the Akali Dal led by Surjit Singb Barnala. The very fact of the overwhelmin g vote ca,t shows the people's need for peace and harmony. Yet there i, some thing wrong somewhere. This exercising the minds of all. Foreign and internal vested interests, the Haryana lobby, the communal divide, the non~impIe­mentation of the Punja b accord, tbe misguid ed Sikh and Shiv Sena youth are the different foci of altention and analy,is. But what irk. a dispassionate educat­ed Punjabi is tbe uncalled for criticism of the stance ado"ted by the Barnala government ..

The circumstances under which Barnala took over as ohief mlDister put bim under a compel­ling political n.ecessity to give to Sikh youth an opportunity to rehabiiitato themselves . This is misconstrued by some people as a partisan attitude. No democrat can conceivably think of an atternative to what Barnala has chosen to do.

If a political assessment of the chief minister has to be made, one would unite witb all right thinking individuals in holding that Barnal. is one of the very rew politician, in the country who are value based. There could be:no better choice than him. A

bardliner wou 'd have brought the state to the br ink of disaster or a direct confrontation with Ihe Centre. If a d 'cent person like Barnala is un8c;ceptable, one wonders wh.t kind of cbief minister do we deserve.

Imagine the multiple problems facing him. Do we expect him to go and prol ect Ihe borders from undesirable in fIltrators? Is tbe implementation of tbe Punjab accord in h is hand s? Sikh mili­tants attack him with bullets for he is not a hald·liner. The other community puts him under fire for being partisan . There are also vested political inlerests. After mch" holocaust as Punjab has witnessed , the opposition parties ought to bave shown a democra­tic spirit in rebuilding the state in cooperat ion with the elected government but regret fuli y nar­row political and communal intersts weigh more with some than the vision for building strife-torn Punjab. In a set up other than ours, a value based politician like Barnal. would have been welcomed as a bless­ing. If all of us look within and cleanse QUI selves there is no reason wby terrorism cannot bt: checked. Let us pray for such introspection. Let the Centre provide to him whole-hea.iied support.

- Avtar Singh Amritsar

,~ .,

THE"SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

Birmingham Student, Exchange Group Visits India

A group of 38 studen (s and teachers from three !nn~r city area schools i.e .. H.ndsworth Wood Girls' School, Broadway Comprehensive School and Handsworth New Road School from Birmingha,n visited India from 15th of March to 3rd of April, 19'6. Tbis group of students and teachers was spon­sored by the Midlands-U.K. branch of International Punjabi Society and stayed in Delhi at tbe International Punjabi House as guests of the International Punjabi Society whicb not only arranged for their accommoda­tion and hospitality but a'so provided them witb an air-condi­tioned coach throughout their slay in Delhi to enable them to visit various places.

Dr. Inderjil Singh. President of the International Punjabi Society took keen personal inle­rest to make their visit to India 'a great success'. Mr. K.N. Singh, a journalist and an active member of the Society coordinated the programme of this group and made arrangements for their visits to various schools, places of interest and important people.

Mo.t of the students of tbis group are of tbe Indian origin who were either born in U.K. or were brought tnere at a very young age and did not know any­thing about the great cultural heritage of their parents. This visit enabled these young persons of all colours and cultures to share experiences with young person. brought up and living in India.

Mr. John Goss, the Head­master of Broadway Scbool, Mr. Robert Cunningham, Headmas­ter of Handsworth New Scbool, Mrs. Vasantbi Rao, Head Tea­cher of Handsworth Wood Girls' Scbool, Mrs. M. Darlington, a retired Head Teacher, Mr. Owyin Richards, B.B.C.'s Radio Cban-

nel4 reporter, Mr. Karam Ram, Pbotographer and Mr. Sbashi Joshi, also took extra pains to make this visit a memorable one for their student, and teacbers.

On tbeir arrival at Palam Air­port by Pan Am flight on tbe early bours of 15tb Marcb, the mem­bers of this group were greeted with garlands and were brought to International Punjabi House for rest and climatising and later in tbe evening were taken to Red Fort to see the Sound and Ligbt Sbow, the 'Son-et-Lumieres'. In tbe forenoclD they were visited by Dr. Inderjit Singh, who hosted a sumptuous welcome dinner for tbero.

On 16th of Marcb, the group visited Qutab Minar, Humayun Tomb, Red Fort, Raj Gbat, India Gate and other places. In the evening the group was invited for 'High Tea' at the farm house of Mr. V.M. Sabharwal, an industrialist from Birmingham. The 17th of March was reserved for their visit to various schools in Delhi. First of all tbey visited Ouru Harkrishan Public School, Vasant Vibar wbere they were greeted by Principal, H.s. Singba and members of his staff a. well as students. They atten­ded the morning prayer, visited various class rooms and later had an interesting discussion with the members of the school staff as stud en ts were busy with their examinations. Later they visited Bal Bharati Public School, Pwa Road, where' they were greeted by Mr. S.K. Bbattacharya, Princi­pal and members of his staff. After having a round ot school they had a lively discussion with the students as well as with tbe teachers of this school. Later tbe group also visited Asboka Hotel for a cup of coffee and in the evening tbey visited Connaught Place for sboppitig.

On the early hours of 18th

Shri Amitabh Baehhan, the matinee idol and member of parhament is s<en Jepiying to the questions being asked ~by

group of Birmingham students.

o

10

March tbis group left for Sbimla and visited Karan Lake, Pinjore Gardens, Chand'garh and other places of tourist interest besides scbools, before returning to Delhi on the evening of 21st March to be served with a lavish dinner by Sardar Manjit Singh Dbupia, General Secretary of the Society.

On the 22nd of Marcb the group visited Buddba Garden, Bida Mandir, Gurdwara Bangia Sahib and had tbeir lunch at M.P.'s canteen at North Avenue. Later they visited National Museum, Teen Murti and Pragati Maidan to see varion. exhibitions. In the evening tbe group were selved witb a nice dinner bosted by Mr. Ramesb JaiD, Vice Presi­dent of the Society. Tbey also met Mrs. Manjit Chadha, a teacher and Mrs. and Mr. Sunil Malhotra.

On 23rd and 24th March, tbe group visited Matbura-tbe birtb place of Lord Krishna and vari­ous historical monuments at Agra and Fatebpur Sikri, includ­ing the world-famous 'Taj'.

On 24th evehing after dinner at Punjabi HOUle, they narrated with pleasure tbe detail. of their memorable visits to all these wonderful monuments.

On 25th Morcb tbey were invited for a cup of tea at the residence of Mr. ManveDdra Singh. M.P. and later called upon Mr. Balram Jbakar, Speaker ot Lok Sabha and spent over half an hour with bim. Tbe Hon. Speaker invited them to watcb the 'Question Hour' in Parliament wbicb tbey really enjoyed.

They had an excellent lunch meeting wltb the students of Guru Harkrishan Public School, PuraDa Quila Road and bad an informal discussion with stu­dents, staff and principal of tb. scbool Mr. L.S. Boplrai.

In tbe evening before attending tbe dinner hosted by Mr. H.S. Sangatpuri, Vice-President of the Society at International Punjabi House. the visiti.ng students presented a nice cultural pro­gramme to entertain the guests wbicb included students from Guru Har Krisban Public School.

The Head Master and Head Teacher of these scbools also presented beautiful momentos to Dr. Inderjit Singh, Mr. Sangat­puri and to Mr. K.N. Singb in appreciation of the excellent arrangements which tbe society has made for ' their accommoda­tion, food and transport, etc.

Tbe group on 26tb Marcb Holl celebrations whicb were organised by Mr. Yogesh Suena at his house. Tbey were second to none in pouring coloured wa ter and Gulal on their bosts and thorougbly enjoyed tbis festival of colour and joy.

The nex t morning the group left for tbeir visit to Rajas­tban and visited Ajmer, Pushkar­ji, Udaipur, Cbittorgarb, Jaipur and other places:of tourist interest before returning to Delbi on 1st

list April, 1986

of A pri!. They were , nterlained' wit~ a v".ry lavisb Indian vege­tanan dmner by Mrs. Kiran, Modi and Mr. Sudhir Modi and! were bappy to meet Dr. S. 1<:_ Sarin, bis family and also ex­cbanged gifts with the young: members of Modi family.

2nd April was the most memorable day for the group. In tbe morning tbey visited Sardarni Sada Kaur Kbalsa Oirl's Senio~ Secondary SchOOl at Daryagan] where they attended tbe morning: assembly. Books and flowers were presented to all the' m~m~ers of the group bY' Pnnclpal. Mrs. 1.K. Sodhi, staff and students and latel' tbey were entertained with an impressive cultural programm .. ' by tbe young budding ,tndentS'. of the school.

This was followed bv theil' visit to tbe residence of 'famoul film star and Member of Parlia­ment, Mr. Amitabh Bachhan who> gladly replied to all the questions, of bis thrilled fans from U. K.

In the evening a decent fare­wei din.ner was organised by internatIOnal Punjabi Society which was hosted by Sbri H. L. Mebra, to meet these students­and th eir teacbers . Studenls from' Guru Harkrishan Public School enteraiDed tbe group and other guests with an excellent Punjabi' caltural programme which in­cluded songs and Bhangra. 'There' were also drum beaters on whosO' tUDe not only tbe Ibe students from U.K. and Indian schools, but their teachers and th. guests. dan~d till almost at inidnight ..

The group was given a tearful farewel at Palam Airport in the ver>: early hours of 3rd Aprii.af!er then three weeks visi t to India where tbey Were quite 'at home~ during this wonderful trip · w~icb they had thoroughlY. enjoyed.

How they all felt about India Indian people and culture can ~ summed up from the rew !ineli' of the letter which Mrs. V.G •. Rao, Principal of Handsworth. Wood Girls' School wrote to> Mr. K.N. Singb after tbeir return­to u.K. OD 4th April, 1986-

.. I do not know wbat to say' except what I have already­said. Tbree weeks ago I Wa&

nervous, apprehensive and worried, not knowing wbat was on tbe other side. But after roeeting you and Dr. Inderjit Singh, We felt safe' and hopeful. Since then we­did Dot bave a minute's worry. I really appreciate al~ your hard work, friendliness and support in the last three, weeks. You were the epitome, of Indian tradit ion and hos­pit.bity. It is good to know' tbat good people like you stil~ exist and there is hope for this world."

,

j .~

1 1 i I

,. ~ l' ~.' (. II / . l. ' 21st April, 1986 -

. Honey can cure all ailments" . 'j' .. ' 'By ' : Rojtsh Bhambi

Honey is co'nsider<d a 'part of increases glucose reserve whicb . the traditiQnal 'materia "medi'a\' not Qnly feeds the tissue cells .of . ,c

for. wbich this ancient.Jand of tbe lIver but also IDcrea.es Its Eharat is known fOf. There are reserve of glycogen and improves references of tllis unique liquid- the process Qf'. tissue· replacement food in Qur scriptures. In certain in the body. Liver diseases afe cases boney h~s been referred to. subject to clinical treatment with

Prof. G:S: Talib passes away , Ii.hed .

The Punjab Chief Minister, , Sardar Surjit Singh Barnala, his CablDet colleagues and a number of political, social and r",igious leaders mourned the death . Qf Prof Talib, describing hiro as a

as sometbing . wblcb sbould be iotravenom ; mjections, but if cQnsidered " Pavitra" (pious) and honey is taken orally it · would to. be used on auspicious Qcca- serve in a better way. It can- be sions. Even' today, when we have said that honey is an all-rounder entered the atomic age honey is remedy . Even ' sportsmen who a much· wanted item at tbe time want to built up tbeir stamina Qf a cbild's birtb. Honey has should use this fOQd. definatelY got to be administered Mr A.K. Mikhailov reCQm­to the new born babe, although mended the use of honey for eye in tbe form of a single drop . ailments . According to him the

Recently, the Punjab Agricul- use Qf eucalyptus honey as an tural University (PAU ) conducted ointment can treat , welling Qf an extensive research on honey eyelids, conjunctivitis and even and recommended its use for cornea sores. It is very important infants and tbe aged. Scienti.ts that sterilised boney frQm the of tbe PAU agreed that tbe honey comb sbould be used fQr Vedas . considered honey as the treatment of eyes, but under nature's most precious food. the supervision of a doctor. Tonics were prepared out of Dentists have also recommended honey for tbe retention of 'youth' the use of honey because ,of it. as also to provide "pleasure in active anti-biotic properties. The matters of sex". Honey, belDg an use of honey is also a disinfectant analpet'c, serves as a remedy for fQr tbe mouth. various distases, because of Its Dr Zaffer Attar, another healing effects. A Soviet surgeon. authQrity on the .ubject has V. M. Krinitsk ,v , had concluded pointed out that the incidence of tbat honey helped in healing cancer amongst bee-keepers is wound, more quickly because it very low i.e. a mere 03 in every .helped in bringing a marked 1,00,000 while amongst other increase in glutathi'ne in tbe professionals it is 10 time, higher. wound and glutathine plays a The Cornell UniverSity is already .d(lrninant role in oxidation! conducting further investigations reductIOn process in the organism Qn the nature of tumour therapy . and simulates cell growth. Honey with honey. has an anti-biotic action due to ------------­the high concentration of natural Indian Club at Drupa '86

•• ugars On the ohter hand, I .White beli eved that the be.ling property Qf honey is due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2 02).

Cold a common ailment in India , can easily be cured with honey taken with warm milk just an hour before going to bed. This would also remove the congestion to a great extent in the body, whicb makes One feel better and relieved in tbe morning .

Honey bas been considered to be a very valuable food com­'Ponent, which contains the much assimilated glucose and ma kes food easily digestible. The heart , which functions continuously spends a lot of body energy, but if boney is regularly used , it will compensate for the loss of energy and also strengthen the mu,cles of the heart thereby removing various types Qf cardiac diseases. With the regular in take of honey the heart gets stimulated and obtain. the desired nutrition. It .has been oleserved by the medical world tbat the regular use of honey as a food heal! patien t& 'feel better because it also helps in building up of haemoglobin.

Gastric acidity can also. be ;removed or at least relief could be provided by the use of honey. Similar is the case with liver >cQmplications, The use of hQney

For th~ first time, India will be accorded a special statu, at DRUPA, the world'. No . 1 print­ing fair to be held from May 2 to 15, 1986. Tn a separate pavilion, an Indian Culb is to be set up, designed as a convenient 'and suitable place where Indian businessmen can meet and nego­tiate with their foreign counter; parts.

An Indian restaurant will make both Tndian vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals available. This will be a special attraction not only for tbe 5,000 Indian visitors expected at DRUPA, but also for visitors from other coun­tries. An additiQnal feature at the India Pavilion will be an infor· mati On stand set up by the Indo­German Chamber of Commerce.

DRUPA ,86 is expected to surpass all previous records with an anticipated exhibitor partici­pation of almost 1,500 from 35 countries. India will be represen­ted by two participating firms. Displays will be spread Over a mammoth exhibition area of 1,22,430 sq m (net) and will be viewed by a total Qf 3 00 000 visitors from all Over the ' w~rld, DRUPA is represented in India by the Indo·German Chamber of Commerce.

Prof (Dr) Gurbachan Singh Talib, 70, a noted scholar, died in Patiala Qn April 9, at a heart attack.

He was awarded Padma Bhushan for his scholarly contri· bution last year.

He was credited with the translation of the Guru Granth Sahib into English, Two of its volumes have already been pub-

. deeply religious man and a res­. pected teacher.

Sardar Barnaia 'said in Prof Talib's death Punjab bas lost ;m outstanding scholar.

Tbe Punjab Governor, Mr Sidhartha Sbankar Ray, express­ing grief Qver the demise ' Qf Dr Talib, said in his deatb the state bad been deprived of the services of a noted scholar, a prolific writer and an eminent teacher. a real man of letters.

Mr Ray said Dr Talib' s enor­mous contribution in the field of education and the monumental work wbicb he produced in the transle tion of ibe holy Sri Guru Granlh Sahib would keep his memory fQrever alive.

Prof Talib is survived by his widow, a son and four daughters all married '

10 % increase in Indo-German trade in 1985 Tbe fast pace of growth in

Indo-German trade continued in 1985. As per the latest statistics from Germany, trade between the two countries increased to the new record figure of nearly 5 billion DM (4.837 billion DM or Rs. 25billiQn). This implies an increase of about 20% as com­pared to 1984.

The growth in the trade vQlume is mainly due to. an increase in imports whi'ch rose by 28 % . E, ports "chieved a less

. spectacular growth rate of 3.5 % . The focus of export growth was centred around leather good,. Cotton garments which had made a comeback in a big way in 1984 could make furtber progress in 1985. The surge in- the export of cotton fabrics continued in 1985, Tea exports continued to develop positively as in 1984 bringing in a higher per unit value and where precious and semi-precious s!ones are concerned, the downtrend of 1984 has been reversed.

In recent tir:1es, f.nd la's engineering expot ts to Germany have been ga in ing in prominence and achieved a further growth in 1985. Thev cOn1 ('1rise m Clcr.in r rTJ electro-technicai goods, precisi;~ engineering and transport equip­ment. Togetber {hey accounted for about 3 % of Indian exports to Germany.

Elect,otechnical gQods, iron and steel and chemicals and pharmac~uitcals led t~e import growths iO 1985. MachlDery im­ports which had declined in 1984 recovered in 1985 a substantial increase.

The ' Indo'German Chamber of Commerce expects a grQwing ,uccess in India's export' to. Germany in 1986. The increased competitiveness due to the decline in value of the Indian Rupee t,?warlls the German Mark com. b1rled wl ~h m.creascd efforts in export promotIon should lead to positive r~s1.l1 ts.

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Regd. No; D-(C)-85 THE ~'SPOK:ESMAN" WEEKLY ··· R.N.I. Regd .. ~3rS; 21st April, 1986

Frenzy Being Whipped Communal :Up In Punjab

Bridges Between .Hindus and Sikhs Must Be Kept Intact

Hindu sentiments are being whipped up in Punjab to a fever pitch by a handfl1l of petty-minded upstarts who want to build their leadership on venomous slogans and cheap historinics.

Sena President Jagdish Tangri has been calling for bandhs. When Hindus and Sikhs sbowed keenness to open their shops, and thereby make a living. his men. indulged in petty hooliganism. They tbrew brikbats ~t their favourite larget, Punjab police. and even fired at nearby Sikh ' houses from the safe lanctuary of Hindu temples. They tried to portray Hindu. as a beleaguered community figluing a lone battle againlt a turbaned majority.

They belong, in the main, to Punjab Hindu Shiv Sena, Punjab Hindu Rashtriy. Saogth.n. and Hindu Suraksna Samiti. A .ide show is provided by P~njab Hindu Students Foderation.

They are insidiously spiDl;ing around Hindus the web of fear and hatred. Pear against being driven out of Punjab by "Sikh" extremists . Hatred against all Sikhs. thougt. a vast majority of well·meaning among them are red up with daily indiscriminate violence by

(Continued from front page) Sikhs who are detained in Jodh· pur and other jails. The CO'll' mittee was to include a represen­tative of tbe Akall Dal. But this was not done. though a panel of three n~l[nes was sent to New Delhi. The government, instead. appointed Dr Gopal Singb. Lt.· Governor of Goa, as cbairman of the committee .

Tbis corumittl!e submitted its findings sometime ago. But these

have not been conveyed to Punjab government so far.

Why ?

tho terrorists. These - purblind Hindu. do not care to remember that terrorists have no religion; their guns are aimed at both Sikhs and Hindus, rather at everyone who crosses their path. In fact. more Sikhs have been killed in recent month, than Hindus . The talk of Hindu back, lash is, tberofore, all b:loney .

By dividing Hindus and Sikhs, the leaders of the abo ve .four Hindu bodies are playing into tbe extremists' hands.

Classic elOmples were provid· ed «cently in several Punjab towns which were placed under curfew.

On tbe sligbtest pretext, Shiv

Apart from a lunatic fringe. beth Sikhs and Hindus have kept their cool. Sbops of Hindus and Sikhs function side by side. No Hindu ever tbinks of sbifting out of Punjab. Most Hindus. confess that they have no quarrel with any of their Sikh neighbours. Sikhs, on their part, nurse tbe grouse why the entire community

Citiuns' Justice Committee will Dot assist Misra Commission

The Citizens' Justice Committee (CJe), which is assisting the R. N. Misra inquiry commission on the November, 1934 riots, has withdrawn from the proceed-· ings of the commission.

The CJC. headed by the for· CJC complained. mer chief justice of India, Justice The CJC said th~ commission

Now Punjab assembly bas S,M. Sikri, has intimated its had rejected its request to sum' unanimously passed a resolution, decision to the Misra commission mon those high government calling for general amnesty and pleading belplessness to assist officials who were responsible for witbdrawal of cases against all the panel in D.tbi. Kanpur and tbe maintenance of law and order Sikhs detained outside Punjab. Bokaro becm" it did not agree during that period. The Com'

It is true tbat some steps have witb tbe way the commission was mittee was informed that the beeo taken to reinstate or reba· functioning . The commiSiion, it commission bad already recorded bilitate Sikh soldiers wbo left alleged, bad conducted a major tbo statem ' nts of some of the tbeir ranks in June 1984 after part of its proceedings without officials even witbout disclosing Operation Bluestar. the CJC's knowledge. It had also their identities. It was also not

Mr Rajiv Gandhi has to do refused to sbow some "vital allowed to cross examine them something quickly to reSfore his documents" to the CJ.C and instead, "untested reports of credibility. Tbe vast fund of Among the CJC members are the commission's investigation goodwill. which he hld b.ilt last Lt Clen. J.S. Aurora (Retd)., agency were being relied upon year, stands drained out. Now Sardar Kbushwant Singb, Mr without furnishing them to the People bave begun to feel that he CJC" .. . Rajn; Kothari, tbe former chief is reverting to tbe sly manoeuvres justice of Punjab and Haryana The CJC following a commis· of bis mother. high court, Justice R.S. Narula, sion directive had submitted

Tbe situation in Punjab is Mr Soli Sorbajee, Mr V.M. detailed list of 3,870 people "bru· becoming more complicated every Tarkunde, Mr Gobinda Mukhoty tally killed" in the post·Indira day. The skein can be untied with and Ms Amiya Rao. Gandbi assassinasion riotings in a bold initiative and swift action ' Delbi alone. on the political front . Dospatcb It said while the culprits of of more para'military . forces, the riots were still at large, the The CJC said while other though belpful in curtai ling acts victims were being harassed and people's orBanisations were of violence, cannot heal the tbreatened witb dire consequen· allowed to participate in the ailment. ces in case they revealed the commission's proceedings in

The real panacea lies in im· truth before the commission. Kanpur, it was not invited at all. proving tbe political climate in Despite repeated complaints It pointed out that the Delhi Punjab- And thIS can be done about the harassment to tbe com· administration had entrusted tbe with full and immediate imple· mission, the panel had Qone task of investigation to the same mentation of solutions envisaged nothing to instil a sense ot con· police officials, who bad allegedly in the Punjab accord. fidence among the victims, the heJped the rioters.

be blamed for the terror unlea­shed by a (ew.

How does one say that all -terrorists are Sikhs ?

The government at tbe centre sllout. from housetops that they are Pakistani agenU, perbaps Muslims in Sikh garb. Many Sikhs ba ve begun to aUege that Hindu Sbiv Sena men are disguis­ing as Sikhs and are out killing people, if only to malign Sikhs. .

InstJad of making Sikhs and Hindus come together acainst violence, these Hindu leaders are fanning communalism.

All Sikhs of sanity and good­will bave always spoken .in favour of Hindu·Sikb unity .- Suc!D. a call is yet to be heard from any Hindu leader of some standing be he in Congress (I) or BJP 0; other motley crowd of mushroom organi~atiops which claim to­speak In name of Hindu!.

The bridges between the two. commuoities, thougb badly shaken. cannot be aUowed to bc­destroyed. If one goes down, tb ... other cannot SUrv,Vt:.

The CJC has been informed' by the commission that it would ' be required to present its argu­ments before the commission tbis month. But it is "really at a loss. as to how it can discharge thi .. duty wben it finds tbat in all vi~al fields of inquiry the CJC is belDg excluded from its course­and conduct. To undertake such an exercise by tbe CJC is not feasible. In fact we apprebend: tbat altbougb we joined Ibe in. quiry with full vigour to pattici. pate and render our utmost ass is· tance in its various facets, we bave been gradually pusbed into fringe", the Sikri panel said.

"More than three fourtb or the inquiry and its materials are out of our reacb. The entire process of collection of basic' materials bas been kept a secret. It is an in·camera inquiry witbin and does not measure upto the requirements of fairness and is n?~ in conformity witb tbe pro. VISions of the act" t it added.

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