M A I N   N E W S

Action plan for Sikhs: Khurana
Farooq conspicuous by absence at bhog
From Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHATTI SINGHPORA (Anantnag), March 31 — The Union Government would soon come out with an action plan to look after security, education and employment of Kashmiri Sikhs, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, special emissary of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced here today..

He was speaking at the bhog ceremony of 35 Kashmiri Sikhs who were gunned down outside two gurdwaras of this biggest Sikh village in the Kashmir valley on Holi night. Tributes were paid to the “Sikh martyrs” by leaders of various political leaders and top Sikh religious leaders who paticipated in the “antim ardas and bhog”.

Though the tenor and tone of the speeches was sober, fiery speeches were made by Mr Shabir Shah of the National Democratic Party and Mr Naeem Ahmed Khan of the Jammu and Kashmir National Front.

A majority of the speakers appealed to Kashmiri Sikhs to desist thinking on the lines of en masse migration as it would not only send the wrong signals but also lead to multiplicity of problems for all.

It was perhaps one of the biggest-ever congregation ever held in the Kashmir valley which brought together not only thousands of Sikhs from the valley, but also their Muslim and Hindu brethren, besides top Sikh leadership of the country.

Among those who addressed the gathering were the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Union Minister, Chaman Lal Gupta, the SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur; Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Joginder Singh “Vedanti”, former SGPC chief, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Congress leader and MP, Rajesh Pilot, BJP General Secretary, Narinder Modi and Mr S.S. Ahluwalia, Mr Simranjit Singh Mann and Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar.

They were joined by Bhai Mohkam Singh, Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, Sant Man Singh of Pehowa, Baba Sukhchain Singh on behalf of the Sant Samaj, Bhai Kuldip Singh of Damdami Taksal, Mr Karnail Singh Peer Mohammed and Mr Partap Singh Bajwa.

Conspicuous by his absence was Dr Farooq Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a massive show of solidarity with the bereaved Sikh families, the entire Kashmir valley observed a complete strike. All roads in the valley led to this village, located in the interior of South Kashmir, 8 km from Anantnag, and about 30 km off National Highway 1A.

Intermittent drizzle and an overcast sky notwithstanding, the mourners sporting black badges, joined by various political leaders, started arriving here early in the morning. Immediately after the bhog ceremony at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, the venue shifted to the open Baisakhi Ground. This is the place where the Kashmiri Sikhs from all over Anantnag district gather every year on Baisakhi day. This time the gathering was in advance and for a solemn occasion.

Though the bhog ceremony mostly remained peaceful, there were some interruptions and when Mr Madan Lal Khurana spoke. He said that the Central Government would soon come out with an action plan which would ensure that Sikh youths were recruited in security agencies, including police and paramilitary forces and posted in their home towns to give them a sense of security.

Besides, the Government would make arrangements for the education of the children of Kashmiri Sikhs, provide them full security and ensure their well being. He was joined by Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, a Union Minister, who also assured full Central cooperation in the matter.

The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, who was accompanied by Bibi Jagir Kaur, Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Athwal, Jathedar of Akal Takht Joginder Singh, and other leaders, said that today was no occasion to take a decision about the future.

“We would meet, here or anywhere, to take a conscious and conscientious decision. It is not a small problem and needs serious thinking. The Punjab Government, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the SGPC were fully prepared to extend all possible help” he said, cautioning the Kashmiri Sikhs against emotional outbursts in a fit of anger.”We have to maintain our balance and act in restraint”.

Mr Simranjit Singh Mann said that in 1990, it was decided after his series of meetings with the leaders of various militant organisations that Kashmiri Sikhs would neither support nor oppose their movement. “I feel cheated and distressed at these turn of events. I am meeting Hurriyat and other leaders so as to bring peace to the Sikhs in the valley. India must hold a dialogue both with Pakistan and Afghanistan to solve Sikh problem,” he said, maintaining that hundreds of Sikhs were facing an exodus from Afghanistan and languishing in Pakistan.

Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra said that he had met the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and apprised him of the suffering and tragedy the Sikhs of Chatti Singhpora, had undergone. Bibi Jagir Kaur traced the history of Sikh sacrifices and appealed to all to maintain their cool.

Mr Shabir Shah and Mr Naeem Ahmed Khan held that it was carnage of not Sikhs but of Kashmiris. “No Muslim could be a party to such a heinous crime,” they asserted and maintained that the best protection of Kashmiri Sikhs could be organised by them, the Muslims, by forging Muslim-Hindu-Sikh unity. To achieve this unity, Mr Shah said, he would go door to door. No weapons or guns could ever protect people. The best protection is provided by the unity, he added.

A resolution on behalf of the Joint Action Committee of Kashmiri Sikhs was read out by Mr Charan Singh Bali. It said that Sikhs do not want to migrate from Kashmir but were being forced to think on those lines.” Their confidence in the system has to be restored to prevent them from taking this drastic step,” the resolution said.

A demand for a judicial enquiry into the March 20 carnage by a sitting Judge of the Supreme Court was also made.