Balwant Singh Rajoana was sentenced to be hanged this weekend. He is a co-conspirator in the assassination of mass-murderer, Beant Singh. He has plead guilty, refused council, and accepts whatever punishment the state has issued. He has spent the last 16 years in jail.
Assassination in Sikhi
Does the Sikh nation agree with the assassination of Beant Singh? There must be mixed feelings about it. Many will quote the Mul Mantra – Nirbhou, Nirvair – without fear, without hate. Vengeance is not part of Sikh philosophy. Period. Sikh philosophy is to not seek retribution, and only use violence in self-defense. One could argue that the assassination of Beant Singh was unjust because it occurred years after the atrocities, and is therefore purely vengeance. Killing a tyrant won't bring back the dead or heal our pain. On the other hand, what do we do when we see a mass-muderer walking the streets, free from any kind of consequence? How can we live in a world where we see rape victims who've witnessed their own husbands and sons burned alive, while the perpetrators carry on unobstructed? Perhaps his assassination prevented future atrocities. It puts us in a predicament. I'm honestly not sure if I agree with the assassination, but I do understand it. I understand a man of integrity who wants to make a murderer accountable for his actions.
The Death Sentence
The death sentence is protested against by human rights organizations. The idea is that we don't have the right to decide who should live and who should die. If someone committed murder, perhaps they can be reformed. However, since India is using capital punishment, why not be consistent? Since they are handing out death sentences, wouldn't it be fair to sentence Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and other 1984 mass-murdering rapists that still reside in the Indian Government?
Give me Liberty or Give me Death
Sikhs are calling for Balwant Singh Rajoana to be released, and
all of his charges forgiven. The Indian Government would simply never
do that. They need to uphold the rule of law, or at least the
perception of it. They won't just let go of murder charges. What options
are left?.. life in prison? Sikhs around the world are protesting the
hanging of Balwant Singh, however I welcome the hanging. Not
because I think it's right to hang him, but because I don't think he
needs to spend any more time in jail. What effect does he have in jail?
the Indian government wants to just forget about 1984, and hope no
one brings it up again. A Sikh sitting in jail is easy for them to
ignore. I think Sikh leadership along with the political parties are taking this opportunity to pander to popular sentiment in asking for the repeal of Rajoana's death
sentence.
It's an honorable death for Rajoana. The Sikh nation loves him, and his death is a slap in the face of the world's "largest democracy". Why do we think that it is more humane for someone to live in a cage than to die? Give him freedom, and let his martyrdom serve as a turning point to the treatment of Sikhs in India. He's even asking for the sentence to be upheld, and for us not to protest it. It reminds me of Bhai Mani Singh, who was not angry at his executioner, but rather held him to his duty. There is another reason for Balwant Singh's course of action. He is intentionally illustrating how corrupt and unjust the Indian Government really is. Let the whole world see it. Let this spark a fire of justice. As he dies, he brings life to the Sikh nation. Like the martyrdom of the Akal Takhat, his death is a wake-up call to Sikhs, to the Indian govt. and to the world.
Indian Justice
A country that still hangs people is reminiscent of feudal Europe, racial lynching and witch trials. Only 28 years ago, India carried out the mass-murder of innocent people with the use of the military. Citizens of a democratic country pay taxes so an army will protect them and then that army brings tanks into a holy temple and kills men, women, and children in cold blood. India is corrupt. There is no justice in India. This is obvious to the whole world at this point.
So what's the answer?
All of us are upset, but basically we want accountability and fairness. Since India is corrupt, and justice is not happening, we are left with anger. But, violence begets violence. We must take that option off of the table. This is not the 17th century, and we are not fighting against invaders. This is the global industrial world where all victories are won politically. A Sikh boy was killed by the police for doing non-violent protests. But no matter how much we are provoked, we can't answer with violence, because it will only weaken our political power.
Let all those who non-violently sacrifice for justice, serve to inspire and unite the rest of us. India needs to be forced to recognize that it has carried out injustices. Governments only clean themselves up when they are forced to by enough public outcry, and since Sikhs are only 2% of the population in India, that makes us easy to ignore.
A perfect example is that they have now delayed the execution because of unrest in the Punjab. The authorities didn't stop to think whether what they are doing is right or not. They stopped only to think if they will become unpopular. Politicians listen to numbers. India has a Sikh Prime Minister, but he is not a dictator. He has to
play politics, and pander and rally political support, and God knows
what else. He can't affect this issue without a huge public outcry and/or
pressure from international organizations and other nations. Therefore we need other communities to stand up
and protest with us. We need other nations to hold the Indian
Government accountable.
Non-violence is essential. Rationality is essential.
We must encourage all of our brothers and sisters against any kind of hatred, in our thoughts, words, and deeds. All culprits pay the price with the karma they take on. Let's not take on any more karma ourselves. What we can do is protest. We can get
organized. We can get politically savvy. We can use social media. We
can share our story. We can act, without reacting. And in the
mean time, we can pray. We can heal. We can meditate, and we can live in
Chardi Kala.