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WSO condemns Orissa violence
WSN Network
Ottawa: The World Sikh Organization (WSO) has condemned the deadly
violence between Christians and Hindus in Orissa that has followed
the assassination of a Hindu leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
“It is sad, but no longer surprising to see the instigation of
brutal, mindless violence like this in India,” said Gurpreet Singh
Bal, President of the WSO Canada. This is certainly not the first
time that India has seen rioting against religious minorities.
Muslims, Christians and Sikhs have all faced such attacks, almost
always instigated by leaders looking to advance an extremist
agenda.
In
November of 1984, thousands of Sikhs were brutally murdered in
cities across India after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi by her bodyguards. “These attacks are a painful reminder of
what happened to the Sikh community 24 years ago,” continued Bal,
adding, “Extremist leaders target a minority group and call on their
followers to riot and kill. The police and authorities watch the
carnage and do nothing. We’ve seen this pattern in India so many
times.”
The WSO’s Senior Policy Advisor, Gian Singh Sandhu, called on
everyone involved to end the violence and hoped that the authorities
would have the courage to bring to justice those who had instigated
and carried out the violence.
3 September 2008
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