Human Rights Watch To Expose Indian Human Rights Record In Punjab At Meeting In Uk Parliament

[JagtarSinghKhalsa]

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH TO EXPOSE INDIAN HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD IN PUNJAB AT MEETING IN UK PARLIAMENT

Last week Human Rights Watch released a 123-page report titled: 'India: Time to Deliver Justice for Atrocities in Punjab - Investigate and Prosecute Perpetrators of ‘Disappearances’ and Killings'. This has received widespread publicity in the national and international press.

The report concluded that the Indian government must take concrete steps to hold accountable members of its security forces who killed, “disappeared,” and tortured thousands of Sikhs during its counterinsurgency campaign in the Punjab.

The report examines the challenges faced by victims and their relatives in pursuing legal avenues for accountability for the human rights abuses perpetrated during the government’s counterinsurgency campaign. The report describes the impunity enjoyed by officials responsible for violations and the near total failure of India’s judicial and state institutions, from the National Human Rights Commission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to provide justice for victims’ families.

At the release of the report Brad Adams, the Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, said: ‘Impunity in India has been rampant in Punjab, where security forces committed large-scale human rights violations without any accountability. . . the government should have acted within the law instead of sanctioning the killing, ‘disappearance,’ and torture of individuals.’ He continued to say: ‘The National Human Rights Commission has inexplicably failed in its duties to investigate and establish exactly what happened in Punjab.’

Brad Adams has kindly agreed to speak in the UK Parliament on Tuesday 30 October at the Sikh Lobby Day. There is limited capacity in Committee Room 18, therefore it is advisable that those attending arrive for the start of the meeting at 11.30am.

Gurjeet Singh

National Press Secretary

Sikh Federation (UK)