Hayer's killing condemned
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Nov 20 — While the leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, have condemned the killing of Mr Tara Singh Hayer, Editor of Indo-Canadian Times, the Akal Takht chief, Bhai Ranjit Singh, has maintained a studied silence. He remained unavailable for comment today.

Mr Hayer was killed by unidentified persons in Canada seven months after a hukamnama by the Sikh clergy on "Guru ka langar". The hukamnama was issued on April 20 when Mr Hayer and six other NRI Sikhs were ex-communicated from the Panth for defying the edict.

An SGPC spokesman has condemned the murder and so has the Shiromani Youth Akali Dal (Kahlon).

CHANDIGARH: The killing of Mr Tara Singh Hayer, Editor, Indo-Canadian Times, a weekly published by him from Vancouver, has been widely condemned.

In separate but identical statements the act has been described as "cowardly" by several political leaders and eminent persons.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President, Mr Amarinder Singh, said Hayer was a bold journalist, who carried his struggle against fundamentalists despite the fact that he was physically a handicap.

The PPCC chief hoped the Canadian Government would bring to book the culprits, who had committed a "heinous act". But the voice of righteousness would not be silenced.

A Congress leader, Mr Arvind Khanna, said the act was not only "cowardly" but intended to "muzzle the freedom of the press". Hayer's killing was a loss to Punjabi world. Since he spoke against the language of the bullet he had been shot. But bullets should not be permitted to call the shots again if Punjabi brotherhood was to be protected.

The Secretary of the Punjab State Council of the Communist Party of India, Dr Joginder Dayal, has also condemned the killing. He attributed this to forces of "religious fundamentalism" and terrorism, who was "intolerant and have no respect for dissent, difference of opinion or dialogue".

Guru Gobind Singh Foundation President Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, in a statement said the assassination by alleged militant elements opposed to his views (Hayer's) brings to surface the latent forces of Sikh fundamentalist ideology, which has already done immense harm to liberal Sikh image and also to values of tolerance and freedom of conscience in Sikhism

The Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has expressed sorrow at the killing of Mr Hayer. With the assassination of progressive thinkers like him, Punjabiat has received an irreparable loss, he said in a condolence message to the bereaved family..