“The army went into Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple Complex) not to eliminate a political figure or a political movement but to suppress the culture of a people, to attack their heart, to strike a blow at their spirit and self-confidence.”
(Joyce Pettigrew, The Sikhs of Punjab, London: Zed Publishers, 1995)
"The Akali Dal (the Sikh Organization) is in the hands of moderate and sensible leadership…but giving anyone a fair share of power is unthinkable politics of Mrs. Gandhi… Many Hindus in Punjab privately concede that there isn't much wrong with these (Sikh) demands. But every time the ball goes to the Congress Court, it is kicked out one way or another because Mrs. Gandhi considers it a good electoral calculation."
"The Akali Dal (the Sikh Organization) is in the hands of moderate and sensible leadership…but giving anyone a fair share of power is unthinkable politics of Mrs. Gandhi… Many Hindus in Punjab privately concede that there isn't much wrong with these (Sikh) demands. But every time the ball goes to the Congress Court, it is kicked out one way or another because Mrs. Gandhi considers it a good electoral calculation."
(Pran Chopra, Wall Street Journal, September 26, 1983)
"The whole of Punjab and especially the Golden Temple Complex, was turned into a murderous mouse trap from where people could neither escape nor could they seek succor of any kind…The way the dead bodies were disposed of adds to the suspicions regarding the number and nature of the casualties...The bodies of the victims of military operation in Punjab were unceremoniously destroyed (the report refers to Chapter II Article 17 of Geneva Convention of 1949) without any attempt to identify them and hand them over to their relatives…So even the courtesy and honor customarily shown to the dead soldiers of the enemy was not shown to our dead countrymen, since those killing them were our own soldiers. Because the government had decided to exterminate these victims physically they ceased to exist as persons deserving any honor of human dignity. We lack even the civility of the British imperialists, who after the Jalianwala blood bath instituted the Hunter Commission to make a thorough enquiry into the events. The government, after the operation, on the other hand, did every thing in its power to cover up the excesses of the army action…The most disturbing thing about the entire operation was that a whole mass of men, women, and children were ordered to be killed merely on the suspicion that some terrorists were operating from the Golden Temple and other Gurdwaras. There had been no judicial verdict of guilt against definite individuals who had been taking shelter in the Golden Temple."
(CKC Reddy, et. al., Army Action in Punjab: Prelude & Aftermath, New Delhi: Samata Era Publication, 1984, pp. 46-48)
"When the agitation began...it was led by reasonable men seeking a reasonable settlement of reasonable demands. And at least three times there were prospects of agreement...but each time Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sabotaged the agreements.”
(Kuldip Nayar, India Abroad Weekly, New York, June 22, 1984)
"The ugly situation prevailing in Punjab would not have taken place if the legitimate demands of the Sikh community had been conceded. In fact, there should have been no need for anyone to have agitated for these demands in the first place if events had moved on the principle of justice and fair play."
"The ugly situation prevailing in Punjab would not have taken place if the legitimate demands of the Sikh community had been conceded. In fact, there should have been no need for anyone to have agitated for these demands in the first place if events had moved on the principle of justice and fair play."
(Bharat Kumar Baweja, India Abroad Weekly, New York, June 29, 1984)
"There was a nonviolent Sikh protest movement, but it was eclipsed when the Prime Minister rebuffed its demands…Since Indian independence in 1947, Sikhs have pleaded for greater autonomy and for specific recognition of their religion in the Constitution."
"There was a nonviolent Sikh protest movement, but it was eclipsed when the Prime Minister rebuffed its demands…Since Indian independence in 1947, Sikhs have pleaded for greater autonomy and for specific recognition of their religion in the Constitution."
(The New York Times, Editorial, June 8, 1984)
"Proclaiming the primacy of national union even over a religious shrine, Mrs. Gandhi ordered a bloody assault last June, and loosed the demons that apparently claimed her life."
"Proclaiming the primacy of national union even over a religious shrine, Mrs. Gandhi ordered a bloody assault last June, and loosed the demons that apparently claimed her life."
(The New York Times, November 1, 1984)
"...over a thousand pilgrims including children and old people quite unconnected with the separatists, were locked into a courtyard and attacked with grenades and machine guns. Those left alive were then prevented from leaving the building, many wounded were left to bleed to death...some 3,000 dead, including many who were only unconscious, were piled high in trucks and removed."
"...over a thousand pilgrims including children and old people quite unconnected with the separatists, were locked into a courtyard and attacked with grenades and machine guns. Those left alive were then prevented from leaving the building, many wounded were left to bleed to death...some 3,000 dead, including many who were only unconscious, were piled high in trucks and removed."
(Amrit Wilson, New Statesman, November 16, 1984)
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
2 comments:
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa
Waheguru Ji Ke Fateh
Thank you for sharing these videos with us.
RAJ KAREGA KHALSA
Post a Comment