Washington, March 31, (YP Bureau): Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman of the Washington based Sikh Council on Religion and Education, expressed his relief at the temporary stay of hanging of Balwant Singh Rajoana due to presidential intervention.
Dr. Singh said, "We believe that it is a step in the right direction to assuage the feelings of Sikhs a bit. There is a widespread anguish in the community due to this scheduled execution of Rajoana and spontaneous reaction all over expresses that feeling. It is critical that the Central and State governments take steps to handle this issue carefully and commute the sentence in the larger interest of public good and maintaining peace and harmony in the nation."
He added, "While Rajoana fate is being discussed, one cannot overlook the era Punjab and its people have witnessed under the rule of Chief Minister Beant Singh. Extra-judicial killings, summary executions, fake encounters, disappearances were routine due to sweeping powers given to security forces under the pretext of wiping out terrorism. Many innocent lives were impacted and many of those homes are still awaiting justice. No official inquiries have taken place to look into these violations of rights by the state machinery.”
“In the face of no respite to those who suffered in Punjab under Beant Singh, this planned hanging of Rajoana certainly has lead many in the Sikh community to believe that the justice system in India is one sided when it comes to dealing with violations related to 1984 and its aftermath. That is the primary reason why his case resonates with so many. This sense of alienation must be removed and governments have the responsibility to play a positive role to heal the wounds”, he said.
Dr. Singh added, "We feel pain for the family of Jaspal Singh who was killed by the police in Gurdaspur. Peace and calm must be maintained at all costs in Punjab and all protests must remain peaceful under the guidance of Akal Takhat."
Dr. Rajwant Singh had worked on human rights issues in Punjab in the 80’s and 90’s and has worked on Sikh issues in America with the White House and the US Congress.