Syeda Mazhar
India claims to be the largest multinational and multicultural democracy has often lauded its ability to transfer power peacefully every five years since the first general election of 1951 (except for Indira Gandhi’s experiment with autocracy in 1975). Most recently, even news of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections is keen to point out that state elections in India are larger than the national elections of several European countries. However, while such self-aggrandizing statistics highlight the monumental task of the Election Commission of India, they do nothing to validate India’s success as a democracy. Rather, a superficial satisfaction with the size of India’s elections risks perpetuating ignorance of the underlying issues that plague India’s democracy.
One of such issues is that the Indian government has been keeping the minorities especially the minority majorities living in India for example; the Muslims or the other community in India that faces suppression is the Sikhs, from coming into positions of power in the government offices. The Indian government will continue to pursue a twofold strategy of exerting pressure on the Sikh community by labeling them as extremists and executing an anti-Sikh propaganda. Although the Sikh are a fiercely independent nation and fought bravely for the Indian armed forces in all its wars, their marginalisation and discrimination against them led to an independence movement led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala.
According to the top Hindu leaders; Sikh “extremists” will continue to rely on violence in particular, assassination as their principal tactic for gaining an Independent Sikh state. The height of insecurity prevailing amongst the Hindus of India despite holding the executive higher offices in the country, propagate and foster a climate of violence, believe that Sikhs seek to provoke Hindu migration from Punjab.
Indian government has been targeting active Sikhs, working for Sikh cause like Mr Jaggi and trying to make them and example for others, who are contributing for their communities. It is a routine in India to make terrorism cases, against the die-hard and sincere members of the concerned minority.
The level of hostility is so much that the Indian security forces are going to limits and crossing them by fabricating the facts and imprisoning an overseas Sikh who also happens to be a UK citizen and accusing him for master minding and funding for purchase of weapons used by “Khalistan Liberation Force Activist” for target killing of important Hindu leaders, under a conspiracy to spread communal violence. Furthermore, any shortcoming of India’s is never without a strong mention of Pakistan and ISI is not possible. Similarly, this time around, according to the massive crybaby of Asia, Pakistan’s ISI has been backing the Sikh community to cause mayhem in the region.
The recent arrest of a 30-year-old Scottish Sikh of Indian origin has triggered a face-off between the Punjab government and sections of the Sikh diaspora across three continents, with even British Prime Minister Theresa May weighing in
Jagtar Singh Johal, from West Dunbartonshire in Scotland, has been in custody in Punjab for nearly a month after being accused of conspiracy to murder Hindu leaders. The poor man had flown in for his wedding and now the BBC reported he had his jail sentence extended for a further two days and would reappear at court in Ludhiana on Monday.
Johal’s arrest was followed by allegations of his being tortured in custody. This spread like wild fire across the diaspora, with British and Canadian politicians raising the issue of human rights violation. British Prime Minister Theresa May told the British media that she was aware of concerns about Johal; the matter was raised in the House of Commons by Martin Docherty-Hughes of the Scottish National Party (SNP). He represents West Dunbartonshire, where Johal and his family are based. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has already conveyed their concerns to the Indian government.
Punjabi and Sikh members of Gill’s constituency in Birmingham show concern about the holes in the Indian legal system and issues like trial by the Indian media before formal charges are brought. They fear Johal may be tortured by the police to obtain a confession. “We expect the Indian government and the Punjab government to adhere to democratic processes. If there were concerns over Johal, who is a citizen of the UK, why were these not communicated to our government?” asks Gill.
Voicing his worries is Johal’s brother Gurpreet Singh Johal, a solicitor in Scotland, feels that since his brother was not in India when the alleged crimes were committed, he should not have been arrested in India. “My parents and I are deeply concerned about legal processes in India. We fear my brother has been tortured by the Punjab police who are refusing an independent medical examination,” Gurpreet opined in Indian media on phone from London. He also expressed concerns about police officials and Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh publicly accusing his brother of various criminal activities before formal charges were filed.
“Just think of the social stigma that my brother will face when he comes out of all this. And it’s not just him, his newlywed wife is suffering the fallout of senior administration making unsubstantiated charges against my brother publicly,” he alleges.
Cross questioning Johal’s in laws, the Indian forces have unleashed the media onto them too. Johal’s mother-in-law Amandeep Kaur told ET Magazine that the family was not able to speak to her son-in-law privately and could only talk for a few moments when he was produced in court.
“My daughter, an innocent girl, was married for only a few days when this happened and we are all very worried about her. Instead of going to the UK to join her groom and his family and settling down in her new home, she is now facing this horrible ordeal and is in a state of shock.
A new phase of the “Free Jaggi Now” campaign has been launched, urging people to contact their MP about Mr Johal. United Kingdom as well as the most of the British leadership advocates the freeing of Johal as well as demands the a fair and transparent trial. This however, India is not keen on letting happen as it becomes evidently clear that the Indian government are trying to frame the man purely for political purposes.
