A public meeting was held on November 5, 2011, in the India International Center, New Delhi, to mark the 27th anniversary of the state organised massacre of Sikhs by the Congress Party and the state machinery. The meeting was organized by the Sikh Forum, which has been holding such meetings for the past 27 years to ensure punishment of the guilty.
A public meeting was held on November 5, 2011, in the India International Center, New Delhi, to mark the 27th anniversary of the state organised massacre of Sikhs by the Congress Party and the state machinery. The meeting was organized by the Sikh Forum, which has been holding such meetings for the past 27 years to ensure punishment of the guilty.
Major Gen. M.S. Chadha, President of Sikh Forum presided. Dr. A.S. Narang, Professor IGNOU and Founder Member of the Sikh Forum conducted the meeting. Amongst the Speakers were Sh. Kuldip Nayar, well known Journalist, Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy of School of International Studies JNU, Sardar H.S. Phoolka, Senior Advocate, Prakash Rao – Secretary of Lok Raj Sangathan, Dr. Maheep Singh, writer & author and Sardar Pushpinder Singh Chopra, associated with Aviation Industry and Editor of quarterly 'Nishan' magazine.
Not only the speakers, but all present actively contributed to raising the level of discourse on why the guilty of 1984 have not been punished, and what to do to ensure the same. Some of the key points that was brought out was that the Indian people are not communal. People, cutting across all barriers, came forward to protect the Sikhs both during the genocide and afterwards in the work to assist the families of the victims. It is the state which is communal. It was a state organized massacre, pre planned by the Congress Party. In the years since, the non Congress political parties that have been in power in the Center or in Punjab have shown that they do not care for the plight of the victims or want to punish the guilty. State terrorism, including state organized communal genocides against this or that community has become a preferred weapon of the ruling class beginning with 1984. Despite great efforts by people to get justice in the courts, the guilty have not been punished. The murderers cannot be expected to punish themselves.
The mood of the participants was militant, the resolve was to continue the struggle. As a young man said, I will continue to fight and will teach my children to continue this struggle till the end.