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Social organisations ask govt to
scrap blacklist of Sikhs
WSN Network
Amritsar: The
issue of blacklisted NRIs has once again come to the fore with their
relatives urging the government to re-examine their cases and lift
the ban so that they can visit their relatives.
Most such
individuals were put on the list during the peak of militancy in
Punjab without bothering about any clinching evidence.
Social Welfare
Association (SWA), whose members have NRI blacklisted relatives, has
taken up the issue and urged the government to objectively review
their cases.
Sikh seminary
Damdami Taksal, whose many followers and former students are also
not able to visit their homes, has also joined the issue of
scrapping black lists of Sikhs.
The government
had banned entry of many NRIs into
India
alleging thay they participated in anti-India demonstrations. Most
have been only part of democratic protests and there is virtually
nothing against them. During the NDA regime, Rashtriya Sikh Sangat’s
slain leader Rulda Singh had actively taken up cases of blacklisted
persons and had succeeded in getting some names struck off.
Amrik Singh
Gill, chief association adviser, SWA, said that their volunteers
have found that the black-listed NRIs were leading a traumatic life
as they are unable to visit their families for important family
get-togethers.
Claiming that
during militancy, authorities had neither the time nor resources for
any scrutiny and investigation of individual cases and people were
black listed in majority of the cases even on the basis of totally
unsubstantiated perceived suspicion.
Baba Harnam
Singh Khalsa, chief of the Taksal, said, “It's two decades since
these people last saw their homes, they must be allowed to do so.”
He said they were preparing fresh lists of such families and
individuals and through their branches in USA and Canada, he
promised to aggressively take up the issue with the government.
H.S. Jatana,
president of the SWA, alleged that cases were framed against certain
NRIs during that traumatic period without proper scrutiny or
investigation, and urged the government to look into the matter
afresh and withdraw the unsustainable cases.
Vice-president,
SWA, J.P. Vohra said relatives of blacklisted NRIs have made a joint
appeal saying, “Give the undeservedly black-listed individuals,
confidence and emotional support that they are wanted and restore
their sense of self-worth.”
14
October 2009
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