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New York Congressman says he wants
to join Sikhs’
fight for justice
WSN Bureau
New
York: Sikhs for Justice, a forum which was the prime force behind a
convention organized to press for a totally new judicial probe and
hammer out a new and effective strategy to bring those guilty of the
1984 genocide of the Sikhs in India, scored a major point last
Saturday when the US Congressman Ed Townes of New York backed the
demands of the community and said: "I want to join you in securing
justice."
Two
New York
lawmakers, Tony Avella and Rory Lancman, also backed the Sikhs, and
strongly pressed for punishment for the perpetrators. According to
Indian Government itself, more than 3,000 Sikhs were killed in the
genocide in 1984, many maimed, tortured and hundreds of women raped
and molested.
Heart piercing
scenes of Sikh man being burnt alive on the roads of Delhi were all
over, and the reluctance of the top leadership and police not to act
for days altogether has been recalled ever since in India and the
rest of the world as a worst crime against humanity.
India made at
least one accused even a minister in the federal government.
Nearly 500
representatives of Sikh organizations in the Tri-State area attended
the convention.
 Townes said it
was the duty of the
US to help
preserve human rights around the globe and it has the power to make
India listen to Sikhs' demand for justice. He signed a resolution
passed at the convention demanding a nationwide inquiry into the
riots, promising that it would be made a part of the Congressional
record.
Legal adviser to
Sikhs for Justice, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, showed the signed
document to the assembly in Richmond Hills,
Queens, a press
release said.
New York City
councillor Tony Avella said, "I will raise the issue in the City
Council and have a resolution passed supporting the Sikhs' demand
for justice." Assemblyman Rory Lancman spoke in support of the
cause.
Bakhshish Singh
Sandhu of Sikhs for Justice said the fate of the Sikhs in 1984 was
similar and comparable to the genocide of the Jews, a comparison
made by many scholars in the recent past.
Sikhs for
Justice was formed in New York four months ago and has been leading
the fight for justice on behalf of a witness Jasbir Singh whom
India's top federal investigative agency CBI had called "untraced"
in order to hush up a case against Jagdish Tytler, widely believed
to be one of the top men leading the killers on Delhi's roads during
the fateful days.
At the
convention, a presentation outlined efforts of Sikh organizations,
in particular Sikhs for Justice, to secure trial of the accused like
former central minister Jagdish Tytler.
Surinder Singh,
a witness who had deposed against Tytler before the inquiry
commission of Justice Nanavati, recounted gruesome killings. He said
he had heard Tytler telling his followers, "Sikhs have killed our
mother (prime minister Indira Gandhi). Let no Sikh remain alive."
Master Mohinder
Singh, a Sikh community leader, condemned the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) for its shoddy inquiry into the killings and its
refusal to have deposition of Jasbir Singh, a witness in the case
against Tytler, through video-conferencing when there is a
precedent.
 Among others who
presented their views were Bibi Balbir Kaur and Barjinder Brar. The
Sikhs for Justice officials said if the community continued to back
up the organisation, it will see to it that men like Tytler, Sajjan
Kumar, Kamal Nath and others hang one day for their crimes.
Master Mohinder
Singh, raghbir Singh Subhanpur, Kuldip Singh Khalsa, Pritam Singh
Giljian and Himmat Singh Sarpanch also spoke on the occasion and
said nothing less than a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge
should be acceptable.
Surjit Singh
Kular, Buta Singh Kharod, Nirmal Singh and Dr Satnam Singh Dhami
backed the views of Congressman Ed Townes. Darshan Singh Bajwa,
Avtar Singh Bhanwra and Prof Saluja said Sikhs for Justice has made
significant achievements in a span of just fourt months.
Harnam Singh
Toor, Satnam Singh Virk, Dharam Singh Philadelphia, Swaranjit Singh,
Tehal Singh, Rajbhinder Singh Badesha, Satwinder Singh Multani, Joga
Singh New
Jersey,
JP Singh and Joginder Singh Malhi also praised the Sikhs for
Justice. Bhai Avtar Singh Pannu thanked everyone for making the
convention a huge success.
19
March 2008
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