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“PRESIDENT CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST DETAINED WITHOUT TRIAL IN INDIA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2326-E2327 on Dec. 8, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PRESIDENT CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST DETAINED WITHOUT TRIAL
IN INDIA
______
HON. DAN BURTON
of indiana
in the house of representatives
Thursday, December 7, 1995
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, in October, 65 Members of Congress from both parties wrote to the President of India, P.V. Narasimha Rao, to protest the detention of Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
Mr. Khalra was arrested for publishing information about the extensive human rights abuses going on in Punjab. Mr. Khalra had published information exposing the Indian police practice of arresting young Sikh men, torturing and murdering them, then declaring them unidentified and cremating their bodies to cover up their abuses. According to Mr. Khalra, 25,000 young Sikh men have disappeared in this fashion.
A copy of our letter was sent to President Clinton, who recently responded. In his letter, he stated that, ``I too am concerned'' by this incident. I am enclosing a copy of the President's letter, along with our initial letter and a newspaper article, for the record. As my colleagues will see, the President reported that our Ambassador in India has raised this issue with ``high-ranking Indian officials,'' and that he will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, the human rights abuses--the murders, the rapes, the torture--that are being committed against the Sikh people are truly horrible. Our State Department, our Ambassador, and the President must continue to press the Indian Government on this issue. Congress must be involved as well. It is time for Congress to pass legislation conditioning aid to India on improving its human rights record in Punjab, in Kashmir, and in other areas. If we continue to confront the Indian Government on this issue, we can force them to stop the abuses and allow human rights, democracy and freedom to flourish.
The White House,
Washington, DC, November 15, 1995.Hon. Dan Burton,House of Representatives,Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Burton: Thank you for sharing with me your recent letter to Prime Minister Rao of India regarding the situation in Punjab.
I too am concerned by the reports regarding Jaswant Singh Khalra. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi has already made inquiries into these allegations with various Indian government agencies,and our Ambassador to New Delhi, Frank Wisner, has raised the issue with high-ranking Indian officials. We will continue these efforts. I appreciate your interest and concern on this issue.
With best wishes and warm regards.
Sincerely,Bill Clinton.
____
Clinton Checks India
(By James Mornson)
President Clinton has taken a personal interest in the fate of an Indian human rights activist held by the government in New Delhi.
Following a letter-writing campaign from 65 members of Congress, Mr. Clinton says his envoy to India has made inquiries into the fate of Jaswant Singh Khalra.
U.S. Ambassador Frank Wisner has made it known in New Delhi that Washington is watching.
``I, too, am concerned by the reports regarding Jaswant Singh Khalra,'' Mr. Clinton wrote this month to Rep. Gary A. Condit.
The California Democrat organized the congressional letter to Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, a copy of which was sent to the White House.
Mr. Condit cited an Amnesty International bulletin of Sept. 7 that accused Indian police of abducting Mr. Khalra for investigating accusations that police in Punjab murdered thousands of Sikh men.
``The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi has already made inquiries into these allegations with various Indian government agencies, and Ambassador Wisner has raised the issue with high-ranking Indian officials,'' Mr. Clinton wrote.
``We will continue these efforts.''
Mr. Condit's letter to the Indian prime minister noted that Mr. Khalra ``had published a report showing that the Punjab police have arrested more than 25,000 young Sikh men, tortured them, murdered them, then declared them
`unidentified' and cremated their bodies.
``These atrocities are intolerable in any country, especially one that calls itself a democracy. . . .
``This abuse of police power is inexcusable.''
The congressional letter was the product of effective lobbying by Gurmit Singh Aulakh of the Council of Khalistan, which represents Sikhs pressing for a separate homeland.
____
Congress of the United States,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, October 19, 1995.Hon. P.V. Narashima Rao,Prime Minister of India, Chankaya Puri, New Delhi, India.
Dear Prime Minister Rao: According to an Amnesty International ``Urgent Action'' bulletin issued on September 7, Punjab police abducted Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra from his home in Amritsar on September 6. His whereabouts are unknown. As the general secretary of Human Rights Wing (Shiromani Akali Dal), Mr. Khalra had published a report showing that the Punjab police have arrested more than 25,000 young Sikh men, tortured them, murdered them, then declared them ``unidentified'' and cremated their bodies. These atrocities are intolerable in any country, especially one that calls itself a democracy. After the report was published, Mr. Khalra was told by the Amritsar district police chief, ``We have made 25,000 disappear. It would be easy to make one more disappear.'' This abuse of police power is inexcusable.
The right to speak out and expose atrocities is one of the most fundamental rights of free individuals. As long as Mr. Khalra remains in detention, how can anyone in India feel secure exercising his or her democratic liberties?
Many of us wrote to you previously urging that the passports of Sikh leader Samranjit Singh Mann and Dalit
(``black untouchable'') leader V.T. Rajshekar be restored. Your government has not acted, and Mr. Mann and Mr. Rajshekar remain unable to travel. The right to travel is fundamental to a democratic nation.
Mr. Prime Minister, we call upon your government to release Mr. Khalra immediately. We also urge you to restore the passports of Mr. Rajshekar and Mr. Mann. If India is a democratic country, it must end these gross violations of human rights and democratic principles. Only then can democracy truly begin to flower. We await your response.
Sincerely,
Gary A. Condit, James A. Traficant, William Jefferson,
Peter King, Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham, Roscoe Bartlett,
Jack Fields, Donald M. Payne, Dan Burton, Phil Crane,
Richard Pombo, Karen McCarthy, Neil Abercrombie, Wally
Herger, Dana Rohrabacher, Esteban Torres,
Ronald V. Dellums, John T. Doolittle, Michael Forbes,
Enid G. Waldholtz, Gil Gutknecht, Victor Frazer, John
Porter, Sam Gejdenson, Bob Livingston, Edolphus Towns,
Chris Smith, William O. Lipinski, Scott King, Lincoln
Diaz-Balart, Dick Zimmer, Collin Peterson, Pete Geren,
Joe Skeen, Duncan Hunter, Jim Ramstad, Floyd Flake,
Bernie Sanders, Matt Salmon, Richard ``Doc'' Hastings,
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Phil English, Richard Burr, Connie
Morella, Carlos Romero-Barcelo, Sanford D. Bishop, Jim
Moran, Martin R. Hoke, Jack Metcalf,
Amo Houghton, Jerry Solomon, Robert Torricelli, Ed
Whitfield, Melvin L. Watt, Jim Kolbe, John Shadegg,
J.D. Hayworth, James H. Quillen, Barbara Cubin, Charlie
Norwood, Vic Fazio, Chris Cox, Joe Scarborough, Bill
Richardson, Steve Schiff.
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