India, Post 1947

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

As a sikh, I am familiar with unfulfilled demands of the sikh quam.

I am also familiar with many of the discriminations and prejudices inflicted upon the sikhs and the sikh majority state of Punjab.

-punjab divided amongst pakistan and india

-Punjab divided further amongst the newly created state of Haryana, rajasthan, and Himachal Pardesh.

-Chandigarh built for Punjab, since Punjab lost its historic capitol, lahore to Pakistan

-Punjab river waters diverted to other states in quantities dangerous to the livelihood of Punjabi sikh farmers

-Punjabi language discriminated against on a state and national level

-Sikh identity attacked via official mandates and by gov't sponsored Godmen, deras, and babas

-Physical harm to sikhs with post 1947 violence, punjabi suba movement, nirankari clash, operation bluestar, delhi pogroms, fake encounters, torture etc.

The list is incomplete, but one gets the idea.

If we think only Punjab and Haryana have river water disputes, I just read about Karnataka and Tamil Naidu fighting over river waters which lead to several deaths.

"Cauvery river flows from Karnataka State to Tamil Nadu and irrigates many thousands and thousands of acres of farmland in Thanjavur (Tanjore or Thanjai), nearby districts and Pondycherry. It is the life source for Tamil farmers of these areas, especially those cultivating samba, kuruvai rice (paddy). Through a series of agreements dating back to 1892, Karnataka State has the responsibility to release specific amounts of water to Tamil Nadu every year. There was no problem when the British ruled the Indian subcontinent. After the British left, Karnataka started holding back the water that are legally Tamil Nadu's share. "

"When many Tamil areas in the state capital Bangalore were in flames, Chief Minister Bangarappa was in Pune (Maharashtra State) attending a music function. Later, when a reporter asked him why he did not return to the state, he answered that there was violence in only some Tamil areas. Anti-Tamil violence was not limited to Bangalore. In fact, many gruesome incidents happened elsewhere in the state.

According to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, 90,000 Tamils fled Karnataka and they lost over three billion rupees worth of properties. It was estimated that about 50 Tamils were murdered and many more beaten, stabbed, tortured or raped. Karnataka Chief Minister Bangarappa claimed that not a single Tamil was killed and that only 17700 Tamils fled the state. Even 17700 Tamils fleeing the state afraid for their lives is bad but the number is much higher. A correspondent of the British paper "Sunday Observer", who visited some of the refugee camps set up for the fleeing Tamils, wrote "the sheer number of Tamils in the refugee camps seem to disprove only 17700 people left Karnataka". "

http://www.geocities.com/tamiltribune/98/0201.html

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story...2011:10:00%20PM

So one day I'm reading about Hyderabad and I run into the history of how Hyderbad was made a part of India in 1948.

I found that besides sikhs, many pre independence era states and communities were treated like animals to form present day India. After forming the nation of India with immense force and bloodshed, India continues to hold on tightly via strong military and police actions throughout the various states.

"That K.M. Munshi, India's Agent-General in the erstwhile state of Hyderabad, did not mention in his memoirs The End of an Era (1957) the massacre of Muslims in many areas in the wake of the Indian Army's "Police Action" in September 1948 - itself a compromise with the truth - was but to be expected in view of his outlook. Not so its omission in standard works by writers who aspired to scholarly values and who were not communal; only "patriotic" in a perverted but familiar manner. A rare exception was the book by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader P. Sundarayya, Telengana People's Struggle and its Lessons (1972). He wrote of the "untold miseries" that were inflicted on "the ordinary Muslim people" (pages 88-89). "

""Off the battlefield, however, the Muslim community fell before a massive and brutal blow, the devastation of which left those who did survive reeling in bewildered fear. Thousands upon thousands were slaughtered; many hundreds of thousands uprooted . The instrument of their disaster was, of course, vengeance. Particularly in the Marathwara section of the state, and to a less but still terrible extent in most other areas, the story of the days after 'police action' is grim.

"The only careful report on what happened in this period was made a few months later by investigators - including a Congress Muslim and a sympathetic and admired Hindu - commissioned by the Indian Government to study the situation. The report was submitted but has not been published;"

How many of these unpublished reports exist, illustrating vengeful Hindu mobs ever since India was handed on a silver platter to nehru and company?

" It record s official sponsorship and reflects their objectivity in denouncing the Razakars' murderous attacks on Hindus, in praising officials where praise was due, yet never flinching from telling the terrible truth about the massacre of Muslims. This is a truth which hardly any Indian scholar has deigned to admit this day. "

"The Sundarlal Report is of more than historical importance; it is of current relevance, for the massacres, coupled with the national indifference to them, have left scars in the minds of Muslims in the State, Hyderabad city in particular. And some Muslim communal parties have not been slow to exploit these scars. "

"The lowest estimates, even those offered privately by apologists of the military government, came to at least ten times the number of murders with which previously the Razakars were officially accused... In some areas, all the men were stood in a line, and done to death. Of the total Muslim community in Hyderabad, it would seem that somewhere between one in ten and one in five of the adult males may have lost their lives in those few days. In additio n to killing, there was widespread rape, arson, looting, and expropriation. A very large percentage of the entire Muslim population of the Districts fled in destitution to the capital or other cities; and later efforts to repatriate them met with scant s uccess." He was referring to a report by Pandit Sundarlal (1886-1980) and Kazi Muhammad Abdul Ghaffar(1889-1956). "

As sikhs, we know our own pain, but if we look a little closer, it seems the concept of India is not built on the image the world sees of Mk gandhi spinning cotton, but rather an image of murder, mob violence, rape, and destruction, which many other communities have faced and continue to face. India did not just subdue the sikhs for national unity, they have the blood of many other communities on their hands.

peace.

[Eshani]

Just one thing.

Both Karnatka and Tamil Nadu are riperion States, so there is a logic.

It is genuine dispute.

Haryana is not a riperion state, so it is not a dispute but a robbery of Punjab water.

Anyway nice information on Cavery issue.

Regards.

[Mehtab Singh]

At the moment, I think the worst affected areas are in the north east. I have heard that one Indian newspaper reported 25,000 girls were raped by Indian soldiers. Its a HUGE number, and I just hope its not true, although I wouldn't be surprised it is, I just find it hard to live with.

[mann_kaum_layee_qurbaan]

Just one thing.

Both Karnatka and Tamil Nadu are riperion States, so there is a logic.

It is genuine dispute.

Haryana is not a riperion state, so it is not a dispute but a robbery of Punjab water.

Anyway nice information on Cavery issue.

Regards.

thanks for the info eshani. I'm very ignorant on the subject as my only knowledge is from what is reported in the indian media. As a sikh, and punjabi in particular, its hard or mostly just plain laziness, exploring other issues amongst indian states and communities.

Mehtab singh,

I don't think anything good is going to come out of all this abuse by indian security forces. india has many issues, and regardless of how fast it is growing economically, its moral evolution is still stagnant.

peace.