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Parminder Singh Saini detained,
Sikhs shocked
Jagmohan Singh
 NEW
DELHI: In what may come as a shocker to the Sikh community and an
embarrassment to the Canadian government, which two days ago
deported Parminder Singh Saini, after a 15 year peaceful stay in
Canada; the Indian authorities have detained him under a preventive
detention law, the National Security Act and has lodged him in Tihar
prison in Delhi. The police has informed his family and lawyer
Navkiran Singh about the slamming of the Act, it has not given any
reasons for doing so.
Voices for
Freedom, in a statement to the media has expressed anguish at the
speed with which Canadian authorities deported Parminder Singh and
shock at the slamming of NSA charges against him by the government
of India. Ranjit Singh of VFF has said that, “Apparently, the
government of
India
has no case against the 46 year old, former activist of the All
India Sikh Students Federation. We hope that the legal machinery in
India is aware of the legal concept of double jeopardy, under which,
no person can be punished twice for the same offence and this has
been upheld by Indian courts too.” Voices for Freedom has sought his
immediate release and a full stop at his vilification.
Parminder Singh
Saini alongwith others had hijacked an Indian Airlines Srinagar-New
Delhi flight on July 5, 1984, barely a month after the attack on
Darbar Sahib, Amritsar in June that year. They were arrested by the
Pakistani authorities, sentenced to death, which was commuted to
life and after serving more than ten years in prison, were released
to go “anywhere.”
Fearing for his
life in India and acutely fearful of harassment and death at the
hands of the India authorities, Parminder Singh fled to
Canada
under an assumed name. While in Canada, he amply demonstrated his
intentions to lead a peaceful life by studying for his graduation
studies and then pursuing and completing his law studies as well.
However, his plea to practice was repeatedly turned down and in view
of his persistence with the plea, he was designated ‘dangerous’ and
deported.
While the
conditions for deportation under which Canada sent back Parminder
Singh Saini are still not know, it is clear that the move of the
government of India to foist preventive detention law of NSA,
whereby all of India’s interrogation authorities will be given the
liberty to humiliate, harass and investigate him within the four
walls of the high security Tihar prison in Delhi.
Former President
of Dal Khalsa, Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib, himself a hijacker, who
like Parminder Singh completed his sentence and who was let off
within one day of his arrival in India said, “The
principle of non-refoulement
is well established in customary international law, prohibiting
states from expelling, deporting or extraditing persons to countries
where they face torture or ill-treatment.
Non-refoulement is a
fundamental rule of refugee law and several human rights instruments
forbid the return of a person who has reason to fear for his/her
life or physical integrity in his/her country of origin. If Canada
has made a big mistake, India must immediately release Parminder
Singh Harfanmaullah.”
Another hijacker, Tejinder Pal Singh, who too was deported from
Canada in December 1997 from Surrey told World Sikh News that,
“India should refrain from harassing people who have suffered in
prison for years and who have live away from family and friends for
decades together.” Tejinder Pal Singh, who now leads a miserly life
in Punjab said that the government of Canada has committed a major
blunder again by deporting Parminder Singh to India. He said that
during his stay in Vancouver, he voluteered for Amnesty
International, UNICEF and the Surrey Children’s Hospital, oranised
blood donations and did humanitarian work, but the Canadian
government did not give him an opportunity to start a life afresh.
He said, “Parminder Singh led a very peaceful life, educated
himself, did not take part in any political activity and was a good
citizen, should have been set free.” Tejinder Pal Singh feared that
like him, Parminder Singh too would continue to be harassed and
humilitated for the rest of his life.
Parminder Singh Saini’s deportation has definitely put the human
rights lobby thinking about, “What should a person who is afraid
from entering the country of his birth for reasons of fear do, if
the country where he has landed refuses to grant him citizenship or
stay status? What is the meaning of “stateless person status for
such a person? In the post 9/11 world, can the UN or any other world
agency play any role? After all, Saini proved his mettle of being a
peaceful citizen for 15 years and underwent imprisonment for more
than 10 years –is there no reform after all that or are countries
always in retribution mode?
Jagmohan Singh is the editor of World Sikh News. He may be contacted
at
jsbigideas@gmail.com
28 January 2010
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