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“INDIAN GOVERNMENT MURDERS 35 SIKHS: U.S. MUST TAKE ACTION AGAINST THIS ATROCITY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E368-E369 on March 21, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INDIAN GOVERNMENT MURDERS 35 SIKHS: U.S. MUST TAKE ACTION AGAINST THIS
ATROCITY
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HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 21, 2000
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, like everyone in this House, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the brutal murders of 35 Sikhs in Kashmir. The loss of life is a tragedy. I am sure that my colleagues will join me in expressing our sympathies to the victims' families.
Although the news media reported that ``Kashmiri militants'' were responsible for this incident, the latest information shows that India's Research and Analysis Wing carried out this brutal and cowardly atrocity.
There are over 700,000 Indian troops in Kashmir. How could the persons responsible for these crimes simply disappear without being detected? What motive would the Kashmiris have to kill Sikhs, who are their allies in the struggle for freedom? When these incidents occur, Mr. Speaker, one must ask who benefits from them. The only beneficiary is the Indian government, which again divides the minorities, setting them against each other to continue their divide-and-rule strategy.
India's pattern of terrorism is well known. It recently tried to blame the Sikhs for the murder of Christian missionary Graham Staines by arresting a Hindu man who calls himself Dara Singh despite the fact that Staines and his family were murdered by Hindu extremists allied with the ruling party. According to the Hitavada newspaper, the Indian government paid the late Governor of Punjab, Surendra Nath, to foment terrorist activities in Punjab and Kashmir to generate more repression and set minorities against each other.
In this country, if someone tried to create violence between, say, African Americans and Hispanics, that person would be rejected and likely arrested. In India, this is government policy.
It is also disturbing that this atrocity occurs just after President Clinton lifted the sanctions imposed on India after its nuclear tests. In light of these murders, those sanctions should be reimposed and India should be declared a terrorist state. Here in Congress, we should cut off U.S. aid to India and we should declare our support for the freedom movements in Khalistan, Kashmir, Nagaland, and throughout India. We must do these things to promote freedom for the people of South Asia and the world.
Mr. Speaker, Burning Punjab published the names of the victims of this massacre and the Council of Khalistan published an excellent press release on the incident. I would like to introduce these items into the Record to honor the memory of the victims and inform my colleagues and the people.
Indian Government Murders 35 Sikhs
RAW Agents Pose as Kashmiri Militants--Continues Pattern of Pitting
Minorities Against Each Other
Washington, DC, March 21.--Thirty-five (35) Sikhs were murdered in Kashmir today by agents of the Indian government's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) posing as Kashmiri militants. There are over 700,000 Indian troops stationed in Kashmir, yet the murderers disappeared without detection. The murders were carried out during President Clinton's visit to South Asia.
Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, strongly condemned the murders. ``These murders are evil, cowardly, and stupid acts designed to pit one community against another and prop up India's image for the President's visit,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``Whoever carried out these brutal acts, they are cowards,'' he said. ``They may escape justice in this world, but they will face the justice of God. That will be worse for them.''
``Sikhs and Kashmiris are allies in the struggle for freedom,'' said Dr. Aulakh. ``What motive would Kashmiri freedom fighters have to kill Sikhs? This would be especially stupid when President Clinton is visiting. The freedom movements in Kashmir, Khalistan, Nagaland, and throughout India need the support of the United States,'' he said. Khalistan is the Sikh homeland declared independent on October 7, 1987.
The murders continue a pattern of divide-and-rule terrorism by the Indian government. The government has recently tried to blame Sikhs for the murder of Christian missionary Graham Staines by arresting a Hindu man who uses the alias Dara Singh. Every Sikh male uses Singh in his name. Yet it was reported at the time of the Staines murder that he and his two sons were burned to death in their jeep by a mob chanting
``Victory to Hannuman,'' a Hindu god. That mob was affiliated with the Fascist RSS, the parent organization of the ruling BJP. In November 1994, The Hitavada reported that the Indian government paid the late Governor of Punjab, Surendra Nath,
$1.5 billion to organize and support covert state terrorism in Punjab, Khalistan, and in Kashmir. The book ``Soft Target,'' written by two respected Canadian journalists, proved that the Indian government blew up its own airliner in 1985, killing 329 people, to blame the incident on the Sikhs and provide an excuse for more repression and bloodshed. This is a well-established modus operandi of RAW.
The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, according to figures compiled by the Punjab State Magistracy and human-rights organizations. The figures were published in ``The Politics of Genocide'' by Inderjit Singh Jaijee. The government has also killed over 200,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1947, more than 65,000 Kashmiri Muslims since 1988, and tens of thousands of Assamese, Manipuris, Tamils, Dalits, and others. The U.S. State Department reported that the Indian government paid more than 41,000 cash bounties to police to murder Sikhs. Amnesty International recently reported that there are thousands of political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, held in Indian jails without charge or trial. Some Sikh political prisoners have been in this illegal detention since 1984.
``This shows that there is no freedom for minorities in India,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``For minorities, India is no democracy,'' he said. ``As U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said, for the minorities `India might as well be Nazi Germany.' ''
``I urge President Clinton and Ambassador Richard Celeste to confront India on these brutal murders, as well as the recent harassment of journalist Sukhbir Singh Osan, getting Sikh and other political prisoners released, and the ongoing, massive, and brutal human-rights violations against Sikhs and other minorities,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``If the United States wants to see an end to these incidents, it should support self-determination for Khalistan, Kashmir, Nagaland, and all the other nations seeking their freedom from India,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``Only a free Khalistan will end India's corruption, tyranny and genocide against the Sikh Nation,'' he said. ``India is on the verge of disintegration. The Sikh leadership should immediately begin a Shantmai Morcha to liberate our homeland, Khalistan.''
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Massacred Sikhs identified
Srinagar.--The 35 Sikhs massacred at Chatti- Singpora in south Kashmir late last night by unknown armed persons have been identified. Following is the list of people killed by militants: Rajinder Singh (42), Karnail Singh (35), Rajan Singh (40), Naranjan Singh (50), Gurdeep Singh (25), Ajeetpal Singh (22), Joginder Singh (26), Gurbax Singh (35), Uttam Singh (30), Surjit Singh (22), Majit Singh (30), Devinder Singh (18), Rajinder Singh (35), Reshpal Singh (40), Gurmeek Singh (35), Sukha Singh (53), Ravi Singh (38), Jangbhadur Singh (36), Rajdeep Singh (18), Naseeb Singh (50), Kulbeer Singh (20), Darban Singh (28), Deader Singh (50), Gurmeet Singh (22), Ujal Singh (28), Charan Singh (50), Sartaj Singh
(30), Rajnath Singh (45), Faqir Singh (65), Karnail Singh
(45), Sheetal Singh (66), Ravinder Singh (22), Jagdesh Singh
(25), Sagir Singh (60), and Sartaj Singh (26). One Devinder Kaur died of heart attack following the massacre.
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