New York: (April 01, 2011): On the Summons issued on March 1, 2011 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out organized attacks on Sikh population of India in November 1984, Congress (I) has now hired Law Firm of Wiggin and Dana LLP in addition to the law firm of Sabharwal, Nordin and Finkel.
According to attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannnun, legal advisor to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Congress (I) is using Government of India’s money, influence and authority to defend itself against the charges of Genocide before the US Court. Consulate of India in New York and Indian Embassy in Washington is involved in hiring, retaining and paying for the law firms to defend Congress (I) in the law suit before Southern District of New York which is clearly misuse of government power and government funds, added attorney Pannun.
SFJ dared Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to come true on his claims of “clean government” by giving documentary proof that Congress (I) is using its own money to pay the law firms it has retained in 1984 Sikh Genocide Case instead of Indian Government’s money. In addition Congress (I) is using Indian Government’s resources to influence US Government to get the case dismissed. Earlier, Congress (I) acted similarly when it tried to lobby for “immunity” for Kamal Nath, a Congress (I) leader who is co-defendant in this case.
Jatinder Singh Grewal, SFJ Cooridnator, pleaded to the opposition parties of India to stand for the cause of justice by questioning on the floor of the Indian Parliament the role of Congress (I) in the killing Sikhs in November 1984 and Congress (I)’s blatant misuse of Government of India’s money and resources to defend the party’s dirty acts. SFJ will resist Congress (I)’s efforts to lobby the US Government to weigh in favor of Congress party in pending Sikh Genocide Case.
The case against Congress (I) has been filed by “Sikhs For Justice” (SFJ) a US based human rights group along with several Sikh individuals from different states and cities of India who witnessed and survived attacks in November 1984. The class action lawsuit (SFJ v. Congress (I) SDNY (10 CV 2940)) has been filed under Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA). Congress (I) has been charged with “conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out organized attacks on Sikh population of India in November 1984”. Plaintiffs have asked for a “jury trial” and will have the right to call upon survivors and experts on Genocide as witnesses to prove that systematic killing of Sikhs in November 1984 was Genocide as defined Article 2 of the UN Convention on Genocide.
As per the Government of India’s records out of 35,000 claims for deaths and injuries received throughout India, more than 20,000 claims were from states and cities other than Delhi, belying the popular notion that killings of Sikhs were confined to Delhi alone.