DEMONSTRATION BEFORE THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA, TORONTO CANADA

DEMONSTRATION BEFORE THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA, TORONTO CANADA

 http://kashmirdiasporaa.blogspot.com/2013/12/demonstration-beforethe-consulate.html

PRESS RELEASE

Toronto Canada: December 11, 2013

A protest was arranged in front of the consulate general of India, Toronto, Canada, for Gurbakhsh Singh Khalsa, a Sikh rights activist who had been fasting since November 14, 2013. Recently, the Indian government illegally incarcerated Mr. Khalsa, attempted to force feed him in order to end his stand against Indian human rights violations and looted him of sum of Rupees 35,000. More specifically, Mr. Singh has been fasting for over almost a month in order to stand against the clear and strategic human rights violations against five Sikh prisoners who had been detained, even after completing their sentence, and the Indian law-enforcing agencies have not released them. The Movement Against State Repression has asserted that more than 52,000 Sikhs have been illegally detained in secret, and, held as political prisoners in the Indian state, as pointed out by the Council of Khalistan, Washinton, D C, in its several press releases. Despite the Indian government efforts, still, a few cases have come to the surface; for example, of Gurmit Singh, Shamsher Singh, Lakhwinder Singh (confined in Burrail Jail, Chandigarh since 1995), Lal Singh (arrested in 1992 and is still detained in Nabha Jail), and Gurdip Singh (confined in Gurbarg Jail for the last 23 years). 

Despite widespread knowledge of thousands of forced detentions, the Indian government denies to provide details of their whereabouts. The legal advisor of the Panch Pradhani, Mr Manjpur, has disclosed a list of 119 individuals in Indian jails. The Indian states stance of denying an individual to fast until death, or the end of state repression, in protest against government actions is clearly hypocritical. We can see from earlier news media reports the release of a Hindu, Anna Hazare (Kisan Baburao Anna Hazare), without any prosecution. Rather, he had been joined by the people of the Hindus' political parties, especially the BJP, and Hindus fundamentalists and militants. During Hazare's fast unto death, Indian news media questioned the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, but he played the role of three monkeys. Indian parliament's business had been shut for several days. It seems that the Hindu faith's fast of people, their protests and social activism, are glorified as heroes. However, if an individual of minority distinction is to do the same, they are strategically detained, forcibly fed, tortured and looted (see you Tube Com on Gurbakhash Singh Khalsa's statements, and Ex-DGP Shashi Kant's address to a political rally on 10th and 11th December, 2013), in order to quell their resistance.  

On August 15, 1947, the day India received freedom from the British Indian Empire, the Indian state violated the fundamental logic of partition. The logic of the partition was that the division of the subcontinent would take place on the basis of religion. This is seen clearly with regards to the India’s treatment with the Sikh nation, as, after partition, they immediately merged Punjab, Khalistan of August 15, 1947. However, this was not the bounds of the Indian states illegal actions. Muslim states such as Manawa, Junagarh, Hyderabad, and 42,000 square miles of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, also known as Internationally Disputed Areas of Jammu and Kashmir (IDA:JK or Maqbooza Kashmir), were also forcefully occupied by the action of the police and military personnel. Despite decades of occupation, at the time, and, until now, the inhabitants of these areas have not accepted India as a legitimate government. Soon after occupation, the citizens of these areas demanded freedom from Indian occupation. According to figures presented by a host of human rights organizations, including the United Nations, until today, more than 270,000 Sikhs have been killed, with the number of Kashmiris in IDA: JK totalling over 200,000.   

United Front of Sikhs’ Sukhminder Singh Hansra ,Sukhdev Singh Gill, Balkar Singh Heir, Avtar Singh Punia, Harjit Singh Sahota, Pritpal Singh Chatha, Lakhwinder Singh Gill, Bhagat Singh Brar, Rampal Singh, Harpreet Singh, and Habib Yousafzai all asserted unanimously sending a message to the Indian government, through the Consulate General of India, to immediately stop all human rights violations; including all those against the prisoner which have been illegally detained. Furthermore, all those in presence heralded Mr. Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa as a hero who whilst sacrificing his very self is standing for the oppressed. The main message however to drive home was that all of these human rights violations, and struggles against therewith are a rooted in the historical and continued actions of the Indian state occupying territories of Punjab, Khalistan of August 15, 1947 and the IDA:JK.

 

Released by: Habib Yousafzai, Chairman, Kashmir Diaspora Alliance Canada