9th July: Dr Gurmit Singh Aulakh Writes to the President, University of Wisconsin

The late Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi, instituted a campaign of genocide against the Sikh Nation which continues to this day.  Yet Mr.­Dhaliwal accepted the Indira Gandhi Award from the same Indian regime that organized this campaign.  This was uniformly regarded by the Sikh community as a gross betrayal.

The invitation of Gurchuran Singh Tohra to speak at this ceremony only adds insult to injury.  Mr. Tohra has a long history of collaboration with the Indian regime in its genocide against the Sikhs.  Mr.­Tohra has worked consistently to undermine the Sikhs’ struggle to achieve even the most basic human rights in the country which falsely calls itself “the world’s largest democracy.”  His presence to honor Mr­Dhaliwal shows that both of these men are willing to betray their own people in public.

This entire ceremony honoring Mr­ Dhaliwal is offensive.  Naming a chair for such a person brings discredit on your fine institution and insults the Sikh Nation.  I am certain that this ceremony will be met with protests from Milwaukee’s Sikh community.  Honoring the representatives of a murderous, tyrannical regime like India’s violates all basic human sensibilities.  A decent respect for freedom and the sensitivity of the Khalistani American community demands that this chair be cancelled immediately.

4th September: Chandigarh Gurdwara Raided - Over 1,000 police and security personnel raided a Gurdwara in Chandigarh on the pretense that the Gurdwara was housing a terrorist. Eight sewadars were detained and reportedly, at least 3 were brutally beaten and tortured. Khalsa Ji, this is just another example of the fact that India has two sets of laws, one for Sikhs and another for everybody else. Do you think that the Indian government would send troops into a Hindu temple even if the temple was housing a terrorist? If the Gurdwara was housing an alleged terrorist, why didn't they just ask the Gurdwara Management Committee to surrender the person? Because the Indian Government assumes that all Sikhs are either terrorists, or aiding and abetting terrorists, they are presumed guilty until they can prove their innocence. This is why I say again and again that Sikhs are a colonized people. This completely unjustified raid on a Gurdwara is just the latest reminder that to the Indian government, and the Indian people, Sikhs are to remain humiliated and demoralized so they will never demand freedom [press release, C of K, Washington, DC; The Sikhs: Past and Present 7(2), 1997].

20th November: Nachhitar Singh Rode was released after spending 16 years, 2 months and 7 days in prison (www.burningpunjab.com)

29th November: The prime traitor of the Khalsa Panth, Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra, was elected on 25th term the president of the Sikh parliament, SGPC. This shows that the clergy, in general, and the Sikh politicians of Punjab are morally and mentally bankrupt.

Commenting on Didar Singh Bains’ visit (pheri) to Punjab, Dr Sekhon said, “the Sikh leadership has a lot to learn and take a good lesson from history.  The present leadership, whether in Punjab (under the occupation of the Hindu Samraj, the so-called largest democracy of the world), Khalistan, or outside Khalistan, is naive, unethical and under the control of Jathedars. For leadership, do not count on businessmen, pseudo-politicians or opportunistic Sikhs. As far as the North American Sikh leadership is concerned, with the exception of Dr Guurmit Singh Aulakh and his associates, it is totally impotent and will not serve the purpose of Khalsa Panth. The Almighty Lord, Waheguru ji, will lead His Khalsa Panth and will show us the path to regain our lost Sovereignty - The Sovereignty of the Khalsa Raj, Khalistan. As a matter of fact, everyday that passes brings us closer to our panthic goal, LIBERATION OF KHALISTAN. However, nature, as it is known in the western world, or the Almighty Lord has His own way to get the things working in the right direction. Mr Bains’  (of California), President, World Sikh Organization (International), comments have no absolutely meaning. Mr Bains has brought about his own downfall as far as the Khalsa Panth is concerned. Dr Sekhon commented further that Hindus were neither a culture nor a nation (see Dr J. S. Sarna, Sant Sipahi November 1997, p. 30-31). The Sikhs had been sovereign and will again be sovereign (see The Sikhs: Past and Present 7(1), 28-30; 31; 54). Thanks are due to our elected members of Punjab, Sardar Bhupinder Singh Mann, Sardar Hukum Singh, Sardar Kapur Singh (a member of the British India Civil Service) and many more who did not sign/endorse the Indian constitution of 26th January, 1950. None would and none will dare to accept it. Let me make it perfectly clear that none is my enemy, except those whose profession is persecution, torture, rape, perpetrators of fake-encounters, deliberate killings, those who distort or misrepresent the Sikh Way of Life, those who bulldoze our Gurdwaras (Houses of God) and desecrate Guru Granth Sahib. The Hindu India has killed to date more than 250,000 Sikhs (since June 1984) and there are more than 70,000 Sikhs languishing behind bars with no hope for justice. I do not think that  Bains, his cronies, or even those sitting/residing in bungalows in Chandigarh, with a few exceptions, will dare to raise their voice for the Liberation of Khalistan. Still, someone(?) will lead the Sikh nation. KHALISTAN ZINDABAD, KHALSA PANTH ZINDABAD (The Sikhs: Past and Present 1997, Vol 7, No. 2; www.burningpunjab.com).

THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS: Nov 12, 1997. New York Democrat Edolphus Towns highlights Indian militarism Quoting a Columbia University Professor, Congressman Towns asserts that India's weapons buildup is not a response for foreign aggression, but a response to national self-determination movements within its own borders.

Nov 10, 1997 Congressman Dan Burton criticizes the Indian govenrment's bloody divide-and-rule politics Exposes Delhi's own role in committing terrorists acts to discredit national movements in Punjab, Khalistan, Christian Nagaland, Kashmir, Manipur and elsewhere.

Oct 31, 1997 Congressman Peter King joins in condemning the beheading of a Catholic Priest in India Urges Government of India to end persecution of religious minorities in India.

Oct 30, 1997 Congressman Edolphus Town's Condemns India's brutality against Christians The Brooklyn Democrat speaks out strongly about the Indian Government's latest atrocities against Christians.

Oct 9, 1997 Congressman Towns condemns Indian police stripping and torturing of Sikh widow and her son

Oct 9, 1997 Congressman Towns suggests that the Indian Government may be behind the Delhi market and train bombings.

15th November: PUNJAB'S FIRST EVER MEDIA SITE ON SIKH HOLOCAUST,www.burningpunjab.com Copyright © 1997-98 Burning Punjab All Rights Reserved, was inaugrated on 15th November, 1997, by Sardar Sukhbir Singh Osan, a lawyer and journalist. BURNING PUNJAB BUREAU, THE WEB SITE IS BEING OPERATED THROUGH a U.S. BASED SERVER and Satellite. E-MAIL: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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November 1997: At the invitation of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Switzerland, Dr Sekhon visited the Sikhs of Switzerland. Speaking at the Gurpurab (birthday) of Nanak Sahib ji, he discussed the Sikh history, 1469-1997, with the congregation making particular reference to the Sikhs’ Struggle to Regain the Lost Sovereignty and Independence of the Sikh nation. The Sikhs are law-abiding citizens and have a high respect for the law of the lands they live in. The Sikhs must not forget that none of their elected representatives has accepted/endorsed the Hindu India’s constitution.

December, 1997: Didar Singh Bains of Yuba City, CA, USA, former President, WSO (International), spending $30,000 and having the Article 2.0.2. “To strive through peaceful means, for the establishment of a Sikh nation, KHALISTAN, in order to protect the Sikh identity and faith as ordained by the Guru Panth in the daily prayer ‘RAJ KAREGA KHALSA’, World Sikh Organization CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS, p.2” became a true soldier of Bhartiya Janata Party-Badal clique (www.burningpunjab.com).

1998

Monday, April 27, 1998: All Sikhs should support this Commission morally, actively and financially, said Dr G. S. Aulakh.

People’s Commission set up to probe rights violations

Jalandhar, April 26: Mr. Justice Kuldip Singh, former judge of the Supreme Court, who recently took over as the Founder-President of the World Sikh Council today announced the constitution of a "People’s Commission" to probe and fix responsibility for the alleged largescale human rights violations during the recent period of violence in Punjab.

Talking to presspersons here this morning, Mr. Justice Singh said that the Commission would be headed by the former Chairman of the Law Commission, Mr. Justice K. J. Reddy, while Mr. Justice D. S. Tewatia, former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, and Mr. Justice H. Suresh, former judge of the Bombay High Court, would be its members.

All aggrieved parties, including individuals or groups, would be free to present their cases, while the various human rights organisations would be involved in furnishing the required evidence.

To a question, Mr. Justice Singh said sufficient time had been given to the present Punjab Government to probe the issue. He said it was immoral and unethical on the part of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal to have backed out of their promise made to the people of the State in its Assembly poll manifesto.

He said it was of extreme importance to bring out all that had transpired during the period between 1978 and 1994, to ensure "everlasting" peace in the State. "We do not believe in burying the past. We want to analyse the reasons for the turmoil in the State," he added (www.burningpunjab.com)

28th March: Col.Partap Singh (September 17, 1927 - March 28, 1998), President, Khalsa Raj Party and the author of Khalsitan The Only Solution said: " Human life, liberty, dignity and an environment for pursuit of happiness are sacrosanct.When the state becomes destructive of these ends, it forfeits its right to speak of the inviolability of the unity of the country, its border or constitution." KHALISTAN IS THE ONLY SOLUTION -

-Partap Singh. He was charged under TADA for declaring Khalistan, upon his return he was tortured and jailed (Khalistan The New Global Reality, www.khalistan.net)

In May, Bibi Pritam Kaur Brar, widow of Saint-soldier Jarnail Singh Khalsa, released the book, Sarkari Katleaam or State-sponsored Genocide by Gurcharan Singh Babbar.

June 1998: Dr Sekhon was invited by the Khalsa Human Rights of the United Kingdom and Sri Guru Singh Sabha of Switzerland. He spoke extensively on the human rights violations taking place in Punjab, Khalistan, since 15th August, 1947. He put forth his views before the congregations of two Guurdwaras in the UK and Switzerland that the Sikhs’ only chance of survival is to Regain their Lost Sovereignty and Independence. For that, they have to continue their struggle by peaceful means; the means prescribed in Guru Granth Sahib and the teachings of their ten masters. Dr Sekhon strongly rejected the peace of M. K. Gandhi because that is a non-Sikh practice. He further requested to his brothers and sisters to support fully, and without reservations, the efforts of Dr Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President, Council of Khalistan, Washington, DC, USA, for the Liberation of Khalistan from the slavery of the Hindu India.

Inderjit Singh Jaijee, the Movement Against State Repression (MASR), in his book, The Politics of Genocide,  and Professor Cynthia Mahmoud of the University of Maine said, in a symposium in Washington, DC,  that over 250,000 Sikhs have been murdered by the Indian government since 1984. Professor Mahmoud said that because of cultural differences between Punjab, Khalistan and the Western culture, the magnitude of the atrocities against the Sikhs had not registered in the international community.  Mr. Jaijee said that the government of Punjab, at the behest of the central government, is covering up atrocities committed by the police.  He said that the Punjab government has already spent two crore (20 million) Rupees in fees to lawyers to protect these police officers, that it has not provided lists of the persons the police killed, and that it has not punished any police officers for these atrocities.  Jaijee appreciated the contributions of Sikhs in America in internationalizing the persecution of the Sikhs and he urged them to continue their efforts.  He said that without these efforts, the situation would be much worse.  Jaijee, while giving the history of the Sikh struggle, noted that Jathedar Manjit Singh and Gurcharan Singh Tohra manipulated the Sikh political leaders first to water down the Sikh Nation's demand for a free Khalistan to the Amritsar Declaration and then to the Anandpur Sahib Resolution.

Dr Aulakh spoke about the moral degeneration of the Sikh Nation.  "How can Sikhs allow Badal to have plainclothes police roaming around in the Darbar Sahib Complex (Golden Temple)?"  "How can Sikhs tolerate Badal not releasing the Sikh political prisoners, some of whom have been rotting in jail since 1984, or his failure to prosecute the police officers who murdered tens of thousands of Sikhs?, The Indian government paid more than 60,000 cash bounties to police officers for murdering Sikhs. Sikhs have tried electing an Akali government," Dr. Aulakh said.  "It is no better than the Congress Party governments of Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Harcharan Singh Brar.  The Sikh masses realize that all these governments are completely in the grip of Delhi," Dr. Aulakh said.

Badal personally recommended Chandigarh Deputy Inspector General of police Sumedh Singh Saini for promotion to the position of Chandigarh IG despite numerous murder cases that are pending against him.  What a shame for a Sikh Chief Minister," said Dr. Aulakh.  "The Sikh leaders have sold their souls and sold out the Sikh Nation for their own personal gain.  Badal's son is a Minister of State in the New Delhi Administration of BJP coalition," Dr. Aulakh added that there is no other choice but freedom for Khalistan.  We have used Morchas successfully throughout this century.  It is time for a Shantmai Morcha to liberate Khalistan."

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June,1998: The Indian administrations have used the doctrines of Manu, Chankya, and brahmins; acccording to which, they are to kill the enemy (the Sikhs and non-Hindu minorities) first with the doctrine, those who are still alive or left are to be killed with weapons or force, i. e., pahalo shaashter se maro, jo bach gaye hain unko shaster se maro (Sekhon et al. 1998. The Sikhs: Past and Present 8, No. 1, p.12).

Prakash Singh Badal, a Sikh Chief Minister of Punjab and a sub-servient of the New Delhi BJP administration, has alerted his armed personnel and police to censor the mail of at least seven journalists and Sikh politicians. Included in the list of seven is Sardar Sukhbir Singh Osan, a Sikh lawyer, journalist and the owner of the world wide web Burning Punjab (www.burningpunjab.com).  Reliable sources indicate that threats have been made on the life of Sardar Osan by the Punjab administration of Prakash Singh Badal, the BJP administration of New Delhi, Hindu-owned newspapers, including the dissemination of fabricated news stories by the Punjab’s Director General of Police, P. C. Dogra17th August: Dr Ami Laws, Physician for Human Rights Report on Punjab Trip of April 1997: Focus on Recent Reports of Police Torture The most commonly reported torture methods were: 1) Leg stretching, where the detainee is held seated on the floor, head pulled back by the hair while two police officers pull the legs as far apart as possible. 2) Roller torture, where a heavy wooden (or sometimes iron) roller is rolled back and forth over the thighs of the seated detainee. Usually one or more officers will stand on the roller to increase the pressure. 3) Suspension by hands which are tied behind the detainee's back. Sometimes officers pull down on the legs or attach weights to increase the pressure. 4) Electric shock to multiple parts of the body, but especially the temples, ear lobes and genitals. 5) Beatings with wooden rods (including to the soles of the feet), and / or with rubber straps. Each of these torture methods causes severe pain, but usually leaves no lasting scars. However, they do frequently leave lasting symptoms of muscle pain or weakness as reported by these men and women [International Journal of Sikh Affairs 8(2), 17-18, 1998].

17th June: Khalistani Delegation Testifies Before UN Working Group on Disappearances ( press release). Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, testified yesterday before the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.  Also testifying were Dr. Paramjit Singh Ajrawat, Professor Gurcharan Singh of Marymount University in New York, Judge Mewa Singh of New Jersey, and Malkiat Singh Heir, also of New Jersey. 

The Working Group said that if they can get a list of the disappeared, they will investigate.  They have asked India for permission to visit and were denied, as other independent human-rights monitors have been.

While the Khalistani delegation was testifying at the United Nations, word came out that the police abducted Rajiv Singh Randhawa, who was an eyewitness to the police kidnapping of human-rights activist JaswantSingh Khalra, yesterday.  This abduction is typical of police conduct in Punjab.  The police have murdered more than 250,000 Sikhs since 1984. Disappearances continue to be routine. 'With the Akali party election victory in the state of Punjab last February, there was hope that finally peace, stability and a measure of democracy would return to the Sikh homeland," Dr. Aulakh told the Working Group.  "Unfortunately, this has not been the case.  In fact, police abuses including illegal detentions, forced abductions, use of torture, rape and murder have continued much like they have continued since 1984.  What is worse is that there has been active collusion by the Akali Government with police forces to cover up past abuses and to distract from present abuses," he said.  He presented a partial list of almost 150 atrocities that have been reported since the Akali government took power in March 1997.  

According to the July 9-15 issue of Awaze Qaum International, the police picked up Kashmira Singh of the village of Khudal Kalan in Mansa district on the pretext of investigating a theft.  They tortured him for 15 days by rolling logs over his legs, submerging him in a tub of water, cutting his thighs with a blade and stuffing red peppers into the wounds. Then the police claimed that Kashmira Singh had escaped from the police station and they arrested his elderly father and a minor brother.  They, too, are being tortured.  The villagers are afraid that Kashmira Singh was killed during the torture and that his body was disposed of as usual. July 17: Witness in Khalra Case Abducted. Washington, DC - Rajiv Singh Randhawa, a key eyewitness to the police kidnapping of human-rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was kidnapped from his home in Amritsar Wednesday, according to a statement issued today by the International Khalra Action Committee.  The police kidnapped Khalra on September 6, 1995. 

According to the statement, Randhawa was riding his scooter when he was abducted about 2:00 p.m. Wednesday by five plainclothes police officers.  They held a gun to Randhawa's head, tied him up with his own turban, and forcibly took him and a friend. Randhawa saw the police abduct Mr. Khalra.  The police roughed him up at that time.  He had identified the police officers involved.  Eight police officers have been ordered to be indicted by the Indian Supreme Court, but no action has been taken against them.  Their hearing is scheduled to take place on July 28. 

"This is another example of daylight abduction by the plain clothes policemen and abuse of human rights," the Khalra Action Committee wrote. "Please help to save his and his friend's life.  Their lives are in danger if no strong action is taken.  Rajiv Singh Randhawa is a very important eyewitness in that abduction," the statement says, "and also working tirelessly to bring the guilty police officers to justice." Kuldip Singh, a police witness who has testified that he heard the gunshot with which the police murdered Mr. Khalra, is currently under the protection of the Central Reserve Police Force because he fears that the Punjab police will try to exterminate him.  The state filed false charges against Khalra's widow, then dropped them under pressure.  Her lawyer was subjected to an intimidation attempt in a courtroom and his tires were slashed.

"Clearly, the Randhawa abduction is an attempt to intimidate the key witness to the Punjab police crimes against the Sikh Nation," said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan.  "The police are once again conducting business as usual by eliminating from the scene anyone who threatens to bring them to justice," Dr. Aulakh said. The Council of Khalistan is the government pro tempore of Khalistan, the Sikh homeland declared independent on October 7, 1987.  It leads the Sikh Nation's peaceful, democratic, nonviolent movement to liberate Khalistan.

"The Indian government has organized a genocide campaign against the Sikh Nation that has resulted in the murders of over 250,000 of our Sikh brothers and sisters since 1984, according to figures from the Punjab State Magistracy and from independent human-rights groups," Dr. Aulakh said. "This is just one more proof, as if any were needed, that there is no place for Sikhs in India's 'democracy'," Dr. Aulakh said.  "Only a sovereign, democratic Khalistan will stop these massive violations of the basic human rights of the Sikhs."

In another recent development, Jaspal Singh Dhillon and four other human-rights activists were falsely charged with conspiring to blow up a jail to free an alleged "militant."  When the human-rights community objected, the charges were dropped under pressure.  The Punjab government under Chief Minister Badal has spent more than 2 crore (20 million) rupees for legal fees to protect the police officers who participated in the genocide against the Sikh Nation. 

"Only international pressure will stop the campaign, and only sanctions will yield the necessary pressure to make India act in accordance with international law," Dr Aulakh said.  "Without effective international pressure, the whereabouts of the abductees will never be determined and every day, other innocent people will join the ranks of the disappeared," he said.

August 26: Badal Trades Interests of Udham Singh Nagar for Extension of Police Chief  Dogra’s term.

In an Open Letter to the Khalsa Panth, Dr G. S. Aulakh of the Council of Khalistan, Washington, DC, said: Institution of Akal Takht  is Under Siege! He said on September 2, 1998, that all Sikhs Must Support Mukh-Sewadar (Jathedar) Bhai Ranjit Singh Ji and a New Honest Leadership Must Replace These Corrupt Leaders. This is a wake-up call to the Khalsa Panth!  It is time for us to take control of our own destiny.  The institution of the Akal Takht is under siege.  The actions of Jathedar of Kesgarh Sahib,  Manjit Singh and Jathedar Kewal Singh are a clear effort to usurp the authority of the Akal Takht.  It is the duty of all Sikhs to defend the institution of the Akal Takht against these self-promoting usurpers. Sri Singh Sahib Bhai Ranjit Singh, Jathedar of the Akal Takht, banned Manjit Singh and Kewal Singh from meetings of the Akal Takht at the Darbar Sahib Complex (Golden Temple).  This was an appropriate response to their act of diverting funds from both the World Sikh Council and the Gurmat Sagar Trust to advance their own personal ambitions.

Jathedar Manjit Singh took Hukam Namas and records from the Akal Takht while he was acting Mukh-Sewadar (Jathedar) and has refused repeated requests to return them.  These records are not the property of  Manjit Singh; they are the property of the Sikh Nation.  They must not be removed from Akal Takht Sahib.  The Sikh Nation demands that Manjit Singh return these documents and repay the money to WSC and the Gurmat Sagar Trust. Manjit Singh recently met with the leader of the Nirankari sect, which is banned by Akal Takht.  He has stated publicly that only decisions made by all five Jathedars are valid.  He has encouraged a lawsuit against Sri Singh Sahib.  This is the same Jathedar Manjit Singh who accepted a bribe of 15 lakh rupees from Parkash Singh Badal, now the Chief Minister, to let him off the hook.  It was under Manjit Singh that the Sikh Nation's legitimate demand for Khalistan was watered down to the Amritsar Declaration, which said that if the Sikh Nation was not granted autonomy in six months, they would start a Shantmai Morcha for (the liberation of) Khalistan.  Under his leadership, this was then further watered down to the Anandpur Sahib Resolution and then finally to total submission to Hindustan.

It was Jathedar (so-called Professor) Manjit Singh who was sent to the U.S.A. and other Western countries by the Indian government to "cool down" the Khalistan movement outside India.  In New York at the Sikh Day parade in April 1996, Jathedarr Manjit Singh left the podium and refused to speak after the crowd pressed him to raise slogans of "Khalistan Zindabad!"  He sat at the feet of Murari Bapu and said that "the time of those who would break away is out, the time of those who want to remain united with India is in." He has betrayed the Khalsa Panth.  We recite every day the words "Raj Kare Ga Khalsa," the Khalsa shall rule.  He should be immediately removed from his office for what he has done to the Khalsa Panth. 

The Akal Takht represents the whole Sikh Nation.  It is not Mr. Tohra's personal fiefdom.   Tohra was the one who installed Manjit Singh in the first place.  When became known that Manjit Singh had diverted the money of the World Sikh Council for personal use, Tohra should have fired him immediately.  Instead, he continues to support Manjit Singh against the legitimate authority of the Akal Takht.  Hindustan has encouraged this brutality and corruption to end the  struggle for Khalistan. In a free Khalistan, those who have collaborated with the enemies of the Sikh Nation will be forced to face the Khalsa Panth and stand accountable for their actions. The Sikh Nation needs leaders who will speak up for our interests, not those of the RSS. The Sikh Nation is disgusted by the continual betrayals of the Khalsa Panth by Indian chimchas (sychophants) of Badal, Tohra, and Manjit Singh.  In 1984 Tohra and Badal told us that anyone who attacked the Darbar Sahib Complex (Golden Temple Complex) would have to walk over their dead bodies.  I am amazed by how much they have been able to do since they died! 

August 25: Indian Security Forces on Killing Sprees in Punjab Villages, Washington, DC (Council of Khalistan) - Groups of unidentified people are going into villages in the Faridkot district of Punjab and murdering villagers. They are agents of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). So far these death squads have struck in the villages of Ghal Kalan, Droli Bhai Ki, Mirzeke, Wara Bhai Ka, and Kabbar Washa (Wala?), among others. They invade these villages in groups of 10 to 15 people.

Punjab Police brutally murdered Baljit Singh, a Sikh youth from Burj Dhillwan village. Baljit Singh was tortured to death in police custody on the night of July 21 and 22. According to the July 9-15 issue of Awaze Qaum International, the police picked up Kashmira Singh on the pretext of investigating a theft. They tortured him for 15 days, rolling logs over his legs, submerging him in water, slashing his thigh, and then stuffing hot peppers into the cut. Then the police announced that Kashmira Singh had "escaped" and arrested his father and his brother, who is a minor.

In May, the Indian Express reported that the former Mukh-Sewadar (Jathedar) of the Akal Takht, Gurdev Singh Kaunke, was tortured for a week and then killed by being torn in half. Yet the government proudly boasts that it has taken no action against the police. "India clams to be a democracy, but it has never been one for Sikhs, Kashmiris, Christians in Nagaland, Dalits, and others," Dr. Aulakh said. "No matter who wins elections, the repression of minorities continues," he said. "That is why we observe India's independence day as Genocide Day. Democracies don't commit genocide," he said (press Release, C of  K).

U.S. Congress Demands Punishment of Those Who Raped Nuns in India: WASHINGTON, on October 9,  a bipartisan group of 23 Members of the U.S. Congress wrote to Indian Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee condemning the recent rape of four nuns in Madhya Pradesh and calling for "strong action against the rapists

"Rape is a serious crime, and rape against religious workers is an assault on the principle of religious freedom which all democratic nations hold dear," the Members of Congress wrote. A leader of the Vishwa Hindu Prashad (VHP) called the rapists "patriotic youth" and called for the expulsion of all foreign missionaries from India. The VHP is affiliated with the RSS, a Fascist organization. The ruling BJP is the political wing of the RSS.