Why should biggest democracy in the world fear human rightist Jaswant Singh Khalra 30 years after his extra-judicial elimination

 

Why should biggest democracy in the world fear human rightist Jaswant Singh Khalra

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

 

Chandigarh: Human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra ceased to be an individual  the night the Punjab police eliminated him after brutal torture after picking him up from his home in Kabir Nagar of Amritsar on the morning of September 6, 1995. World’s biggest democracy then feared him and now continues to be haunted by him more than 30 years after his extra-judicial killings going by the pulling down of Diljit Dosanjh starrer Satluj (original name Punjab 95) and directed by Goindwal Sahib born Honey Trehan from ZEE5 just two days after its screening. Trehan deserves credit for truthful depiction of that period and truth is bitter most of the times.

Going by the newspaper reports, the centre has cited security concerns. The continuing security concerns associated with the border state of Punjab should be seen in the context of the claims of the centre around mid-nineties of having eliminated militancy. According to one estimate, around 10,000 militants and their sympathisers were eliminated in fake encounters and majority of them were cremated as unclaimed bodies. The families of those taken away by the police did not know whereabouts of their members for years. The torture and extra-judicial killings represent dark underbelly of this biggest democracy in the world.  ‘Satluj’ exposes that dark underbelly.

The Sikh religio-political narrative continues to be of concern going by the fact that years after elimination of Khalra, India came under attack from Canada for the killing of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjer and another case of transnational action came up when a plan was foiled by American agencies to eliminate Sikhs for Justice legal adviser Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Nijjer too was associated with this organisation.

What is little known is that Khalra started his work on human rights violations with the Shiromani Akali Dal setting up its Human Rights Wing headed by Jaspal Singh Dhillon with Khalra as the general secretary in October 1994. Amrik Singh Muktsar was its vice-chairman. This wing broke away from SAD due to differences over nature of militancy on November 1, 1996.  Earlier on August 18, 1995, the wing made it clear that it did not agree with the perception pf Akali Dal of the militant struggle being the creation of the Congress.

As per the information available, Khalra was cautioned about the threat to his life on the night of September 4 but he said, “Let it be. I am willing to die for this cause”.

Four activists stayed with him that night at his residence and they included Jathedar Toga Singh Karamjit Singh, a journalist, Malwinder Singh Mali and Gurdarshan Singh Bahia. According to Bahia, he and Mali tried to convince Khalra about the threat to his by life as he had exposed insidious functioning of the state.

Initially he was not convinced that the police could eliminate him on the argument that he had already globalised the issue of fake encounter in USA, Canada and UK and as such, the security agencies would not take such a risk. His had been interviewed by the media in those countries.

Ultimately, he said, “I am ready to die for the cause”. He was picked up two days later on September 6, tortured for days before he was killed and his death was subsequently judicially corroborated as the police officials who carried out the killing were convicted. But then the basic issue is of the system of extra-judicial killings resorted to by the security agencies in this biggest democracy in the world that Khalra had exposed.

The chief minister in Punjab at that time was Harcharan Singh Brar who had taken over after assassination of Beant Singh on August 31 earlier. Dhillon and Amrik tried to contact the chief minister on Khalra’s kidnapping and subsequently approached Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gurcharan Singh Tohra. The human rights wing had the address of Chandigarh sub-office of the SGPC. Tohra contacted Brar and met him. Brar told him that it was now too late. It was only then that Khalra’s elimination was confirmed.

Tohra then sent telegram about the killing to the chief justice of India who marked it to Justice Kuldip Singh. Justice Kuldip Singh ordered CBI probe. The CBI probe then confirmed killing of about 2000 unclaimed bodies in just three cremation grounds of Amritsar that Khalra had exposed. The victim families were awarded compensation. The dark underbelly of the biggest underbelly stood exposed.

The name of Jaswant Singh Khalra emerged as a hero in countries like UK, Canada and USA where the Sikhs are settled in large numbers and Sikh events associated with Khalistan struggle continue to hit the headlines. Parks and roads have been named after Khalra. This is why the biopic associated with him haunts the Indian state.

It may be mentioned that whatever party might be in power, the security related policies concerning Punjab continue to be overseen by the government in Delhi and this is a  continuing process. Interference by Pakistan has been repeatedly quoted by the state and the central agencies.

Punjab witnessed bloodshed starting in 1980 with the last major action being the assassination of chief minister Beant Singh by human bomb Dilawar Singh who was assisted by Balwant Singh Rajoana, Jagtar Singh Hawara and several others. Punjab has witnessed three full terms of rule by the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance. This is besides the Congress rule. Presently, it is the Aam Aadmi Party that administers this sensitive state. Beant Singh was assassinated for human right violations and mass repression. It should be kept in mind that both Beant Singh and high profile police chief K P S Gill were very efficient instruments chosen by the centre to implement its repressive policies.

In the fractured Punjab polity, while the names of Beant Singh and Gill are associated with police brutality by one section, the other section eulogise them as the saviours. This is divide needs to be bridged.

However, going by the shock that has also produced anger after the screening was stopped after centre’s intervention, Punjab seems to have stood still at 1995. This is what should worry the people in Delhi.

There is one very positive dimension to this narrative. The English media in particular has taken strong exception to the treatment meted out of Satluj by way of stopping its screening. The centre should not be scared of the past misdeeds but should worry about the future.

Jaswant Singh Khalra has transcended the identity of an individual who exposed one of the darkest chapters in the history of state excesses. His name has evolved into a powerful symbol of resistance against human rights violations and the pursuit of truth and accountability. The biographical film ‘Satluj’ has further reinforced this legacy by introducing Khalra's life and sacrifice to a wider audience, ensuring that his struggle continues to resonate across generations.

For years, the work that Khalra had started got stopped and moreover, the government took precaution about the record. This record was the registers of the cremation grounds in which these bodies used to be mentioned as unclaimed.

But then the police perhaps took precaution  in case of Khalra as his body was not even recorded as  unclaimed and unidentified. As per the case, his body was consigned to the watery grave at Harike, the confluence of rivers Satluj and Beas.

From his watery grave, Jaswant Singh Khalra has risen far larger than life, his name no longer representing merely an individual but an enduring symbol of courage, truth, and resistance against human rights violations.