CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— Extensions of Remarks E1907 HON
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September 18, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1907 over the Delhi massacres in which over dered another 20,000 Sikhs in Delhi and the Cuba has allowed Amnesty into the country 20,000 Sikhs were murdered while the Sikh surrounding areas in the massacres of No- more recently. What is India hiding? police were locked in their barracks. vember 1984. Sikhs were burned alive, Sikh My organization, the Council of Khalistan, It was Beant Singh, a Congress Party Chief businesses were burned, Sikhs were chained is leading the Sikh struggle for freedom and to trucks. The driver for Baba Charam sovereignty. Working with the Congress of Minister, who presided over the murders of Singh, a Sikh religious leader, was killed by the United States, we have internationalized over 50,000 Sikhs while he was in office. No tying his legs to jeeps which then drove off the struggle for freedom for Sikhs and all one from that party has the moral authority to in different directions. the people of South Asia since the Council of speak on nonviolence, especially when there Sardar Jaswant Singh Khalra looked at Khalistan’s inception on October 7, 1987, the are so many better spokespersons, such as the records of the cremation grounds at day that the Sikh Nation declared its inde- the Dalai Lama, who will be in America to re- Patti, Tarn Taran, and Durgiana Mandar and pendence from India. We have worked to pre- ceive an award right after Mrs. Gandhi’s documented at least 6,018 secret cremations serve the accurate history of the Sikhs and of young Sikh men ages 20–30. These young speech. the repression of minorities by India by pre- Sikhs were arrested by the police, tortured, serving the information in the Congressional Madam Speaker, the Council of Khalistan murdered, then declared unidentified and se- wrote an excellent letter to UN Secretary Gen- Record. We continue to work for freedom for cretly cremated. Their bodies were not even the Sikh Nation. Self-determination is the eral Ban Ki-moon, which follows. returned to their families. They have never essence of democracy. COUNCIL OF KHALISTAN, officially been accounted for. The Punjab We cannot accept the leader of the Con- September 12, 2007. Human Right Commission estimates that gress Party, the party that carried out the Hon. BAN KI-MOON, about 50,000 such secret cremations have oc- bulk of these atrocities, speaking to an orga- Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag curred. nization like the United Nations on a subject Hammerskjold Plaza, New York, NY. For exposing this horrendous atrocity, like non-violence, especially when there are DEAR SECRETARY GENERAL BAN: It has Sardar Khalra was abducted by the police on much better spokespersons available. I can- come to my attention that you are having September 6, 1995 whi1e he was washing his not urge you strongly enough to cancel this Sonia Gandhi speak to the United Nations on car, then murdered in police custody. The appearance. nonviolence on October 2. Mrs. Gandhi has only witness to his kidnapping, Rajiv Singh Thank you in advance for your attention no moral standing to be discussing this sub- Randhawa, has been repeatedly harassed by to this situation and helping the people of ject. I urge you to find someone else. Per- the police. Once he was arrested for trying to South Asia. haps the Dalai Lama, who will be in the hand a petition to the then-British Home Sincerely, United States the following weekend to re- Minister, Jack Straw. in front of the Golden DR. GURMIT, SINGH AULAKH, ceive an award, would be a good choice. Temple in Amritsar. President, Council of Khalistan. There are other people more qualified than Police SSP Swaran Singh Ghotna tortured f Mrs. Gandhi, as well. and murdered Akal Takhl Jathedar Gurdev How could you pick the head of India’s Singh Kaunke and has never been punished HONORING MAJOR BERNARD Congress Party for this talk? India is one of for doing so. K.P.S. Gill, who was responsible PROCTOR, PHD the most violent countries in the world. Ac- for the murders of over 150,000 Sikhs in his cording to the Punjab State Magistracy, time as Director General of Police, is still over 250,000 Sikhs have been murdered at the walking around scot-free. He was even in- HON. JOE SESTAK hands of the Indian government. Between volved in leading the Indian Olympic field OF PENNSYLVANIA 1993 and 1995, according to the United States hockey team. His trip to the Atlanta Olym- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Department of State, the Indian government pics in 1996 was protested by the Sikh com- paid out over 41,000 cash bounties to police munity in the United States, which is over Tuesday, September 18, 2007 officers for killing Sikhs. A report by the half a million strong, but he was allowed to Mr. SESTAK. Madam Speaker, our Nation Movement Against State Repression (MASR) come to the Olympics on an Olympic Com- will soon commemorate the 230th Anniversary reveals that over 52,000 Sikhs are being held mittee visa. Immediately after the Olympic of the Battle of Brandywine. Let me take this as political prisoners without charge or trial. hockey game, he was shipped back to Punjab opportunity to relate the importance of that Some have been in illegal custody since 1984! as a threat to peace and an affront to the Amnesty International reports that tens of Sikh community. 50 members of the U.S. battle, the largest land battle of the Revolu- thousands of other minorities are being held Congress from both parties wrote to the tionary War, and to remember the brave sol- as political prisoners as well. In addition, the President protesting his appearance in the diers who fought for the independence of our regime has kil1ed 300,000 Christians in United States. country. Nagaland, more than 90,000 Kashmiri Mus- Unfortunately, other minorities have also In 1777, the British army campaigned to lims and tens of thousands of Muslims and suffered greatly under the boot of Indian re- control Philadelphia, which was then the cap- Christians in the rest of the country, and pression. In March 2002, 5,000 Muslims were ital of the newly-declared United States of tens of thousands of Assamese, Bodos, Dalits killed in Gujarat while police were ordered America. British General William Howe and his (the dark-skinned aboriginal people of South to stand by and let the carnage happen, in an Asia, referred to as ‘‘Untouchables’’), eerie parallel to the Delhi massacre of Sikhs troops approached Philadelphia through the Manipuris, Tamils, and others. in November 1984 in which Sikh police offi- Chesapeake, landing in Elkton, Maryland in The Gandhi family were perhaps the most cers were locked in their barracks while the early September of that year. cruel of Indian rulers; it was Mrs. Gandhi’s state-run television and radio called for American General George Washington was mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, who suspended more Sikh blood. confident that his army would secure the cap- democracy and imposed martial law (dicta- Christians have suffered under a wave of ital city. On September 9, 1777, American torship) on the country. It was the Congress repression since Christmas 1998. An Aus- troops were stationed along the Brandywine Party under Indira Gandhi, then under Mrs. tralian missionary, Graham Staines, and his River, guarding the fords. Washington’s strat- Gandhi’s husband, Rajiv Gandhi, who suc- two young sons, ages 8 and 10, were burned to ceeded Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister, that death while they slept in their jeep by a mob egy was to force a fight at Chadds Ford, the government carried out the brutal at- of Hindu militants connected with the where the Americans would have the advan- tack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), an tage. center and seat of the Sikh religion, in June organization formed in support of the Fas- On September 9, a small portion of British 1984, as well as 224 other Gurdwaras (Sikh cists. The mob surrounded the burning jeep troops marched from Kennett Square as if places of worship) throughout Punjab. Sikh and chanted ‘‘Victory to Hannuman,’’ a they would battle the Americans at Chadds leaders Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Hindu god. None of the mob has ever been Ford. However, the majority of British troops General Shabeg Singh, and others, as well as brought to justice; instead the crime has this time marched north to cross the river at a over 20,000 Sikhs were killed in these at- been blamed on one scapegoat. Mr. Staines’s tacks. The Sikh holy scripture, the Guru widow was thrown out of the country after ford unknown to Washington and his army. Granth Sahib, written in the time of the the incident. An American missionary, Jo- The battle began in the early morning on Sikh Gurus, was shot full of bullet holes by seph Cooper of Pennsylvania, was expelled September 11. Washington, believing that all the Indian Army. Over 100 young Sikh boys from India after being beaten so severely of Howe’s army would fight at Chadds Ford, ages 8 to 13 were taken out into the court- that he had to spend a week in the hospital. was unprepared when British troops arrived at yard and asked if they supported Khalistan, None of the persons responsible for beating the right flank of the American line. He or- the independent Sikh state. When they an- Mr. Cooper has been prosecuted.