SA6

Dear Sir/Madam, I believe as a result of reading a few posts you are over-generalising the issues/concerns posted here. You speak as if it is a vendetta of all Sikhs to create an independent state of Khalistan, when for the most part Sikhs, punjabis, women, children who have suffered genocide, false killings, torture, dismemberment amonst other things merely wish for justice to be served, and the world to hear their voices so that such events do not occur and those that continue to occur (think 1984 George Orwell) be prevented. PLease see: for UN's realisation of the events... http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showtopic=38268&hl= Additionally the Sikh seed has been planted in hundreds of countries now, and they are prosperous there, so who can say which is the Sikh's country? Sikhs in reality are of the land, and Freedom is their birthright, for that reason they live in the Unique Image wherever they go. However, as the land of 5 rivers remains the place of origin of the Sikh path, like Jerusalem is to the Christians, that land remains a land of reverence for all those who are alive today... Please read UN link to understand how voice's are only heard if there is a vibratory medium for it's translation. Withouth this medium, all there is is empty space. mskcan, Sikhs are not the only groups who have suffered. Many thousands Marathis were killed and maimed in religious riots across India in the last 50 years. Some of them were supported by politicians. Yet, we persist, we don't demand a separate country. This is because our aim is to put aside regional differences and solve our problems as a nation. When it comes to protecting the unity of India, we put aside all our individual grievances. India may have its faults, but it has given its citizens by far, the most humane treatment in the whole of Asia and the Middle east. Even Europe. Look at the violent and bloody histories of China, Russia, Japan, Burma, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey in the last 60 years. Millions and millions have been killed like flies. The sole objective of uniting as a single nation was to make ourselves strong enough so that we are never invaded again. We are never enslaved again by foreigners. We may never know why 1984 happened and what was the purpose behind it. But rest assured, the purpose was not to kill Sikhs just for the sake of it.

Manmohan Singh apologized: Sikh groups reject PM's apology for 1984 riots Thursday, August 11, 2005 22:42 IST CHANDIGARH: Sikh political and religious groups on Thursday rejected the apology made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that left hundreds of Sikhs dead in New Delhi and elsewhere. The Sikh groups - led by Shiromani Akali Dal - said the apology from the Sikh prime minister was unacceptable and inadequate. The Punjab Rights Forum called a protest day on Aug 15 against what it said was the ruling Congress party's "anti-Sikh stand". It asked Sikh men to wear black turbans and women to adorn black 'dupattas' Aug 15 as a mark of protest. It also urged Sikhs not to celebrate Independence Day. The groups demanded that the apology for the ghastly killing of innocent Sikhs - allegedly by Congress activists and leaders in the wake of the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards, should come from the Nehru-Gandhi family and particularly from Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Intervening in a discussion on the Nanavati Commission report on the riots in the Rajya Sabha, Manmohan Singh apologised to his Sikh community and the nation for the violence that some leaders of his Congress were accused of instigating. "I have no hesitation in apologising not only to the Sikh community but to the nation because (the riots) negated the concept of nationhood," he said. "I bow my head in shame for what happened... but there are ebbs and tides in a nation's history." But an Akali Dal spokesman said the prime minister's apology was misplaced since he was not even a primary member of the Congress when the killings took place in 1984. Others who rejected the prime minister's apology included the Dal Khalsa and the Akali Dal headed by radical leader Simranjit Singh Mann. They said the Congress had been shielding its leaders who got hundreds of Sikhs killed in 1984 and had been part of a conspiracy against the community. The organisations said that Sikhs would never forget atrocities against them even if they forgave the perpetrators of crimes against them.

Guys, if you don't mind me butting in. Even if you haven't got justice for the 1984 riots, how will creating a separate Khalistan deliver that justice? Why give up your own country? Why not be Indians and demand justice as Indians? We have fought the Afghans, the Iranians, the Arabs, the Central Asians and in the end we realized that unity is strength. If we continue to fight among ourselves, then outsiders will always be ready to take advantage of us. I am a Maratha, and even my community has sacrificed its blood for the unity and independence of India.

In that case, what motive could the government have to attack the Golden Temple? I mean, it would be a rather stupid thing to simply attack it without reason. saint-soldier, Sikhs are among the most prosperous communities in India. You guys have been Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Police, you guy have held so many powerful positions in India. Punjab state is among the richest states in India. I don't understand why you feel that Sikhs are treated as second-class citizens. Obviously, I was not even born in 1984 so I cannot be certain, but your average Indian or Hindu has nothing against Sikhs. We consider Sikhism as part of our family. The Congress and Indira Gandhi played a very dirty game in Punjab indeed, but please understand that the actions of the government had nothing to do with the common people of India. The Congress has been guilty of a number of misadventures over the years in Sri Lanka, Punjab, Mumbai etc. etc. All religious groups in India including Hindus, Muslims, Christians have suffered dirty politics and progroms. The only way to defeat these people is to educate ourselves and our communities better so that we don't get fooled by them repeatedly. My sources are merely the major newspapers of the time including Indian and foreign ones. I believe that they reported the incidents fairly accurately, though the reporting was vague and confused because of the media blackout imposed by Indira Gandhi. Please go ahead and expose the B*astards of '84 whoever they were, but please don't talk about separation. We have lost enough of our hard-fought land to the Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. It would break my heart if India is divided again. After all this is your own country.

Thanks for the reply saint-soldier. I know that India suffers from many problems, and there are variety of criminals roaming the corridors of power in India. However, as citizens of our country, it is our duty to remain united and face these challenges. I was reading some threads on this forum about the Indian police violence and other such things. It is true that Indian police is very brutal. However, this should not be seen through the narrow prism of religion. There are a variety of problems with the police including corruption, poor training, overworked and low-paid constables, and colonial attitudes. Regarding the '84 Operation Bluestar, I believe that it was an unfortunate blot on our country, but it was also unavoidable because the militants had to be taken out. I believe that our Chief of Army Staff was himself a Sikh, and he was deeply hurt by what he had to do in order to protect the unity of our country. Since India is a democracy, our vote is our biggest weapon. I would urge all of you to educate your fellow Sikhs to vote wisely and choose honest candidates. That is the only solution to our problems, in my humble opinion. Punjab, I believe is suffering from many problems, like most of our states, like female infanticide, reduction in crop-yieids, and of course massive corruption. I have recently attended a seminar which said that Punjab is facing a decrease in crop yieids in the coming years. If we can improve our justice system, I believe that we can eventually book all the murderers of '84 who instigated the riots. There are also other facets to the problem, like the fact that the ISI and Pakistani establishment were actively providing support to the Khalistan movement during the late 70s and early 80s. Pakistanis do not care about Sikhs. They were simply bent on destroying the unity of our country so that they have the upper hand. Remember my friend: United we stand, and divided we fall. If we allow our differences and our misgivings to get the better of us, then the world will continue to take advantage of us.

welcome to the forum concerned why :gg: Well, because Sikhs are generally a very forward-looking and enterprising community, and they have done so much to build modern India. I was surprised to know that some sikhs want to separate from their own homeland.

Hi Guys! )))) I am a student from Mumbai, and I chanced on this website while surfing the web. I was a bit surprised by the general anti-Indian sentiment here, so I decided to join in the discussion. I have many Sikh friends, which is why I am a bit concerned. Cheers!