Ludhiana/US (November 19, 2009): It is learnt from a news-letter sent by Sikhs for Justice via email to SikhSiyasat Network that Amnesty International USA on November 18, 2009 has urged the US President Mr. Barack Obama to candidly address human rights concerns in India during your upcoming meeting with the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and to press him to make substantive improvements.
“Prime Minister Singh will be the first leader to receive a state visit at the White House after you became the President. While you are honoring him with this state visit, Amnesty International urges you not to forget the plight of women, men and children who are facing numerous human rights abuses in India and to make public statements emphasizing that human rights are central to US-India relations.” says the letter written by Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA.
Regarding mass killing of Sikhs in November 1984 the letter says that over three thousand Sikhs were massacred when the governing Congress Party incited mob violence targeting Sikh civilians in reaction to the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Scores of women were gang raped and some were burnt alive. After two decades, a judicial commission concluded that members of the governing Congress Party were involved. Twenty five years have passed since the massacre, but only a few have been brought to justice for this mass killing.
“Amnesty has asked US President to press Prime Minister Singh to bring to justice those involved in the mass killings of Sikhs.