AISSF calls for statewide bandh on Nov 1

Jalandhar, Punjab: The All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) and the Sikh Students Federation Mehta (SSF) today gave a call for a statewide bandh on November 1 to protest the 1984 Sikh Genocide following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Addressing the media, AISSF president Karnail Singh Peermohammad said 30 years after the riots, the the victims were still waiting for justice. He said all religious groups had been approached for their support for the bandh. He claimed that medical and other emergency services would not be affected during the bandh. “To show solidarity with the 1984 Sikh genocide victims, we appeal to the people of Punjab and the Punjab government to support the bandh call and keep government offices, businesses and educational institutions closed on November 1,” Peermohammad said.

“Sikh human rights groups have reached a consensus that the recent discovery of mass killings of Sikhs in more than 100 cities throughout India proves that it was genocide as defined in Article 2 of the UN Convention on Genocide. The gravity and scale of the gruesome attacks was concealed by the Indian government,” the AISSF president said.

He said despite the Nanavati Commission recommendations, successive Congress governments had shielded senior Congress leaders from prosecution for their role in the November 1984 genocide. “Since the SAD is now part of the BJP-led government at the Centre, the victims want that cases be filed against Kamal Nath, Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler,” he said.

He alleged that Sikh, their properties and places of worship were attacked. While thousands of Sikhs had died, more than 3,000,00 Sikhs had been uprooted, he claimed.

Among the organisations that have supported the Punjab bandh call are the Damdami Taksal, the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, the United Sikh Movement, the 1984 Dharmi Fauji Welfare Society’s, the Sikh Federation (Bhindrawala), the DSGPC, the Sarbat Khalsa Lehar and Bhai Dharam Singh Trust.

Source: The Tribune