Indian Media Targets Sikhs In Aftermath Of Bombing

[2desi]

Indian media targets Sikhs in aftermath of bombing

Punjab Newsline Network

Saturday, 04 October 2008

NEW DELHI: As India is in the process of recovering from the New Delhi bomb attacks, the face of the media is turning towards possible suspects to put the blame on.

Although organizations claiming to represent the "Islamic Nation" have taken the responsibility for the attacks, reports published without proofs by different Indian media outlets suggest the involvement of Sikh organizations--the usual scapegoat.

On September 28th, the Zee News corporation, which has created outrage in different communities over time for publishing baseless information, published a news story claiming that the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is planning to revive the militancy movement in the Eastern Punjab with the help of Babbar Khalsa International and the Khalistan Commando Force. According to the report, Zee News had in its possession a report by the Intelligence Bureau that exposed these facts. However, no mention of any actual facts whatsoever are made in the news article.

The report by Zee News alleges that the ISI has received major support from the instability in Pakistan and from the increasing number of unemployed youth in Punjab. They further allege that the main motive of ISI remains to damage the Indian brotherhood, it is luring the youth in Punjab to help assist with criminal activities.

Making a rather humorous statement, Zee News further puts the blame of the "Sikh-Dera" tension on the ISI. Interestingly, according to them, the protests that erupted after blasphemous incidents by Dera Sacha Sauda were in fact motivated by the ISI. The newspaper makes the statement, "For that ISI Brigadier has been in touch with Babbar Khalsa and Pakistan based KCF. Reportedly, heads of Babbar Khalsa and KCF held secret meetings recently to decide upon their operations." The identity of the ISI brigadier is however undisclosed.

Zee News cautions that attacks similar to the recent ones in Delhi are being planned all across India for which a huge number of so-called terrorists of the "Khalistan Army" will be travelling to India through river routes. Their alleged places of hiding include Ayantpur, Kanganwadi and Karwal. The "Khalistan Army" has been reinitiated by the ISI and the operatives are living in bunkers situated close the Indo-Pak border. Interestingly, as claimed by Zee News, the "Khalistan Army" has the full support of the Pakistan Government.

Sikh Organizations based in Punjab and different parts of the globe should pay proper attention to increasing anti-Sikh propaganda by the Zee News Network. Its motives of branding the Sikh Youth as Pakistan supported agents should not be tolerated and legal action should be taken to stop this type of blatantly false and racist portrayal of the Sikh Community in the world media.