Amritsar Sahib: To protest against growing and persistent violations of Sikh human rights in Punjab, the pro-freedom group of the Sikhs Dal Khalsa will hold a march and sit-in at Gurdaspur on December 10th.
Kanwarpal Singh Bittu.
While interacting with the media party’s spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh and general secretary Paramjit Singh said the march would lend voice to the victims of state repression, especially those who were picked up and subsequently eliminated extra-judicially in the last three decades.
“The successive governments have failed to address the Punjab conflict but instead indulged in torture, illegal confinements, enforced disappearances, impunity to forces and enactment of draconian laws,” he said.
“The objective of the march is to press upon the government to protect and respect rights, foster rule of law and end torture culture”.
Furthermore, he stated that we believe without ‘justice and a respect for human rights’ peace in Punjab can’t be maintained. Similarly, without rights ‘Indian democracy is a sham.
Referring to findings of Punjab Advocacy and Documentation Project (PADA) in which the Civil rights group has claimed that 8257 people have been tortured, disappeared or killed in fake encounters, they said those who were responsible for these illegal acts have gone scot free ostensibly under the impunity given to forces by Indian establishment.
They reiterated that human rights issue is linked with Punjab’s political problem.