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1984 key
witness Giani Surinder Singh illegally detained at Delhi airport
WSN Network
CALIFORNIA/NEW
DELHI: Exposing for the benefit of the entire world the shallowness
of the Indian Government’s claims that it wanted the law to take its
course as far as the guilty of the anti-Sikh genocide of 1984 were
concerned, a key witness of the genocide, Giani Surinder Singh, whom
the CBI had questioned in the United States, was illegally detained,
harassed and accused of speaking against the Indian government when
he arrived at the Delhi airport from the United States.
Giani Surinder
Singh is a prime witness against powerful Congress politician
Jagdish Tytler, widely known for having led blood thirsty mobs and
directly found involved in killing and burning of Sikhs in 1984 by
one after the other Commission of Inquiry set up by the Govt of
India.
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The Case
In November 1984,
Giani Surinder Singh was at the Pul Bangash Gurdwara in Delhi
where he witnessed Jagdish Tytler ordering the killings of
Sikhs. As a result of instigation and orders of Jagdish Tytler,
three Sikhs, namely, Bhai Badal Singh Raagi of the Gurdwara,
Thakur Singh, a retired police inspector and Amarjit Singh
Bedi’s servant were killed. On the instigation of Jagdish Tytler,
Gurdwara Pul Bangash was also set on fire and 36 copies of Guru
Granth Sahib were burnt to ashes.
After his statement to the CBI in India, Giani Surinder Singh
had said he was receiving threatening and harassing calls and
messages and had then come to the United States. After this, his
wife and daughters were harassed back home and his house No. 9,
10 New Block Aruna Nagar, New Delhi was seized by men backed by
Jagdish Tytler and his wife and daughters thrown out of the
house. Police had even threatened to put his wife behind bars,
Giani Surinder Singh alleged. After this the CBI asked him to
give a statement about the November 1984 events before the CBI
officers on December 23 and December 24, 2009 in New York, USA.
“I appeared before the CBI on said dates and was subjected to
interview which lasted for more than fourteen hours over a
period of two days…the CBI officers time and again assured me
that there is no threat to my life and security in India…I was
further assured that Govt of India will take the responsibility
of my safety in India and … my return to India will help the
Government in charging those guilty of November 1984 Sikh
massacre.”
He said his illegal detention happened when he did return after
all of this. |
After the CBI tried
to give Jagdish Tytler a clean chit but was caught red handed by
alert sections of the media who tracked down witnesses that the CBI
said were simply not traceable, Giani Surinder Singh was one of the
bravehearts who came forward and once again stuck to his grounds
that he did see Tytler himself leading, egging on the bloody crowds
against the Sikhs.
After much
hesitation, and with egg on face, the CBI sleuths were forced to
travel to the US to record the testimony of Giani Surinder Singh on
February 21, 2008 but their behaviour left much to be desired. When
indications again emerged recently that the CBI was once again in
the process of filing a closure report in the probe against Tytler
on February 28 at the Karkar Duma courts in Delhi, Giani Surinder
Singh decided to go to
India
and record his statement in the court of Judge Sanjeev Jain.
When, on February
23, he arrived at the
Indira Gandhi
International Airport on a direct flight from USA, travelling on his
Indian passport number Z1430281, he was detained by the Indian
officials for several hours, was continually questioned in an
intimidating manner, and was harassed by the detaining officers.
His passport was
then confiscated, and he was told that he has “misused my Indian
Passport by travelling abroad and speaking against the interest of
Indian Government while travelling on its passport.”
Giani Surinder
Singh said he was also forced to sign some papers and was directed
to keep quiet and remain cautious. Only after such treatment was he
allowed to leave the airport. Giani Surinder Singh has now demanded
security and said there was a clear threat to his life. He also
requested the court to record his statement immediately.
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CBI seeks month
to complete Tytler probe
New Delhi: The
CBI told a court here that investigations into Jagdish Tytler's
role in the 1984 anti-Sikh genocide would be complete within a
month. It said it had already examined 10 witnesses and final
report will be submitted by March 28. Senior counsel for Delhi
Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee H.S. Phoolka, however,
expressed concern over the delay and pleaded before Additional
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit to direct the agency
to expedite the inquiry . |
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Gurpatwant Singh
Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs for Justice, a US-based Human Rights
organisation, has denounced the treatment meted out to Giani
Surinder Singh.
Giani Surinder
Singh decided to visit India personally to record the statement
after the recent death of Gurcharan Singh Rishi who remained bed
ridden for 25 long years after being thrown into a burning truck
during the ’84 Sikh genocide and died on February 17 but without the
opportunity to record his statement against another influential
Congress leader Sajjan Kumar who also was involved in killings of
Sikhs.
He said he does not
want to die before seeing men like Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler
paying for their crimes.
Karnail Singh
Peermohammed , President of a faction of the AISSF, condemned the
illegal detention of Giani Surinder Singh and said he will soon file
a petition in the Supreme Court to probe this matter and demanded
that the officials involved be suspended with immediate affect.
4 March 2009
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