Massive rally held by Lok Raj Sanghathan and other organization to mark 30th anniversary of Sikh Genocide
New Delhi: On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Sikh genocide of 1984, a massive rally and public meeting took place in Delhi on November 01, 2014. The rally was organized by Lok Raj Sangathan along with several other organisations. Hundreds of people marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar demanding that the guilty of 1984 must be punished and calling on the people to unite to end state terrorism.
The President of Lok Raj Sangathan, observed that the people of India, belonging to all faiths, all regions of our ancient country, have been fighting ceaselessly for thirty long years to ensure that the truth behind the carnage of 1984 be placed by the government of India before the people of our country, and those guilty of organizing it be punished. We have been demanding that mechanisms be established to ensure that such acts of state terrorism can never again be organised.
However, ten governments have come and gone in this period. Ten Commissions of Enquiry have submitted their reports. Till today, no government has accepted that it was the Indian state that organized the genocide. No one has been punished for the brutal murder in broad daylight of over 10,000 innocent people, the rape of women and girls, and the widespread destruction of property.
Pointing out that rulers have failed in their raj dharma of protecting people and their lives, it is the people who must fulfill their praja dharma to unite and fight to create a modern democratic state that will ensure security and prosperity for all by guaranteeing human rights and having enabling mechanisms to ensure their realization.
Com Prakash Rao of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, Advocate HS Phoolka, Advocate Shahid Ali of United Muslims’ Front, Shri N D Pancholi of Citizens for Democracy, Salim Engineer of Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Shri Jarnail Singh, Shri Rafiq Jabbar Mulla of the Social Democratic Party of India, Shri Chaddha of Sikh Forum, Shri S Q Ilyas from the Welfare Party of India, Comrade Siddhantkar of CPI-ML (New Proletarian), Ms. Renu Nayak of Purogami Mahila Sangathan, Guruji Hanuman Prasad Sharma – Vice President Lok Raj Sangathan, Akhlak Ahmed from APCR, Ansar ul Haq of Popular Front of India, Sharikh Ansar of Student Islamic Organisation, Narpreet Kaur – who has been fighting for justice, addressed the sabha gathered at Jantar Mantar.
Speaker after speaker reiterated that the people cannot “forgive and forget”. How can people accept that the guilty must be forgiven for such a horrendous crime against the people? How can we accept that it is fine for the State, which is supposed to protect all citizens, to kill them instead? No, such an idea is unacceptable. There can be no reconciliation with the adharma of a State that kills its own citizens, instead of protecting them.
They all emphasised that what happened in 1984 was not a riot. Calling it a riot creates the impression that it is the people on the streets who were to blame, not the authority. The truth is that it is the State that organised the massacre. People tried their best to protect their neighbours from the assailants. It is the State that violated the rights of citizens and unleashed terror against innocent people.
They drew attention to the fact that entire experience since the end of British colonial rule, proved that no matter how many times parties change places in this system, the violence of the State against citizens has only become more and more bestial and blatant. From the Hindus and Muslims of Punjab, Bengal and Kashmir during the Partition, to the Nagas, Manipuris, Mizos and Kashmiris for decades on end, the list of the victims of state terror has expanded to include the Sikhs in Punjab, Delhi and elsewhere, Muslims in Gujarat, UP and elsewhere, Christians and adivasis in various regions.
The speakers called on people to pledge to escalate the struggle for truth and justice, with the perspective of establishing a modern democratic State committed to ensure prosperity and protection for all.
The attached declaration was tabled and unanimously seconded by all present.
At the end of the meeting, the Punjabi Rangmanch, Patiala presented a moving street play, titled “the genocide of 1984″.
More than 20 organisations participated in the rally. They include Lok Raj Sangathan, Sikh Forum, Communist Ghadar Party of India, Social Democratic Party of India, , All India Students’ Association, , Purogami Mahila Sangathan, Better Sikh Schools, Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, Sikhi Sidak, Citizens for Democracy, Sikh Chetna Lehar, Jamaat E islami Hindi, United Muslims FrontPopular Front of India,, Welfare Party of India, Mazdoor Ekta Committee, Qoumi Party of India, People’s Movement against UAPA, National Patriotic People’s Front, People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, Nishant Natya Manch, All India Progressive Women’s Association, CPIML (New Proletarian), SUCI (Communist), Association for Protection of Civil Rights, PUCL Delhi, Akhil Hind Forward Bloc (Krantikari), Bachpan Bachao Andolan, All India Workers’ Council, Ghadar Heritage (Canada), Ghadar International, Nagarik Parishad, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations and others.
Many prominent personalities from all over the country who have been fighting for human rights against state terrorism and state organized genocides sent their message of solidarity to the Rally. These include Justices Justice VR Krishna Iyer, Hosbet Suresh and Ajit Singh Bains, Teesta Setalwad, Javed Anand, Adv Rajvinder Singh Bains, Justice Rajender Sachaar, Arpana Caur, Journalist Siddharth Varadarajan, Film Producer and Directors Shonali Bose and Bedobrata Pain, Prof Nandini Sundar. John Dayal, Anil Chamadia, Salim Engineer, Dr Prem Singh and many others.