Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, Feb 7 — The Central team headed by Union Minister S.S.
Dhindsa, which recently went to the Kashmir valley for an on-the-spot
assessment of the situation after the killing of Sikhs, tonight met
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and demanded that the Centre
should take adequate measures to ensure security and satisfaction of
the Sikh community in the valley.
The team, comprising Minister of State for Civil Aviation Chaman
Lal Gupta, BJP MP S.S. Ahluwalia and Vice-President of the National
Minorities Commission Tarlochan Singh, conveyed at length the plight
and feelings of the Sikhs in the valley, especially after the gunning
down of six youths by militants in Srinagar.
During their 45-minute meeting with Mr Vajpayee, the four members
demanded timebound measures to ensure security and satisfaction of the
Sikhs in the valley.
The Prime Minister shared their concern over the recent killings of
Sikh youths in Srinagar.
“He (Vajpayee) said that he will call a meeting of Defence
Minister George Fernandes, Home Minister L.K. Advani and Chief
Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in the next couple of days to decide on
measures to ensure security to the Sikh community in the valley,” Mr
Tarlochan Singh told The Tribune soon after the meeting.
He said the delegation pointed out to the Prime Minister that only
ensuring security to the Sikh community will not be enough, there was
need to ensure their “satisfaction” too.
“All of us have given various suggestions for the security and
welfare of the Sikhs and it is now up to the government to come out
with the concrete measure to deal with the situation and ensure proper
security and satisfaction to the Sikh community,” he said.
The meeting of the delegation assumes significance as the attacks
on the Sikh community in Srinagar have compelled them to consider
migrating out of the sensitive border state as the state government is
not doing anything to protect their interests.
The Farooq Abdullah government had failed to provide security
despite gory incidents like the one in Chittisingpura in March last
year in which 35 Sikhs were massacred by militants.
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee Chief Jagdev Singh Talwandi
had also called on the Prime Minister yesterday in connection with the
killings of Sikhs in Kashmir.
