1984
India's Sikhs Turn to UN for 1984 Justice
by I.P. SINGH
Holding that Indian Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram's recent exhortation to the Sikh community to "forgive" and "move on" with regard to the 1984 pogroms of Sikhs amounted to a bald refusal of justice to victims, Sikhs for Justice and All India Sikh Students Federation have announced their plan to approach the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
"Violation of any human right guaranteed by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights can be examined under '1503 Petition,' by the UNHRC, which we are going to file," said SJF's U.S.-based legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.
Gurpatwant Singh and AISSF President Karnail Singh Peermohamad said that Chidambaram's statement clearly implied a refusal to prosecute those responsible for the 1984 massacres and it was a violation of fundamental human rights.
In a statement issued from New York, Gurpatwant Singh said that UNHRC could call witnesses, record testimony, receive documents and evidence related to human rights violations and killings.
"The commission can also seek response from the country involved," he said, adding, "A 1503 Petition is a very effective tool that the United Nations have provided for suppressed people of the world to approach the UN directly regarding human rights abuses and denial of justice".
[Courtesy: Times of India. Edited for sikhchic.com]
June 30, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), June 30, 2011, 1:51 PM.
Chidambaram had arranged for a bunch of Sikhs to shower him with flowers, when he delivered the above-noted statement. In India, you can buy anything!
2: Jeet (India), July 07, 2011, 3:10 AM.
What to say! For the last 27 years our Sikh brothers and sisters are fighting for justice in our own country (India). This seems that our judicial system and political system are totally corrupt. The decades we have been waiting for justice are a total shame for India and its people.