Satluj News 

AMRITSAR Pro-freedom Sikh political groups Dal Khalsa and SAD (Amritsar) have joined hands to stage a massive protest marches on the eve of India’s Republic Day in the region of Majha, Doaba and Malwa in Punjab. 

At a press conference, Dal Khalsa working president Paramjit Singh Mand said our protest list includes fake encounters, extrajudicial and extra-territorial targeted killings, wrongful detentions, imposition of black laws like UAPA, NSA to stifle dissidents, Governments anti-farmers & pro-corporate policies and denial of right to self-determination to ethnic minorities, who aspire for statehood. 

He further said activists of their organisations will march on the streets of Gurdaspur (Majha), Jalandhar (Doaba), Mansa (Malwa) on Jan 25 on the eve of India’s constitutional day. 

Leaders of both the organisations extended their “best wishes” to President Donald Trump on Tuesday stating that, “the Sikh Nation looks forward for a support and succour to tackle challenges being faced by Sikhs globally.”

Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh trashed a high-powered enquiry committee, set up by Government of India (GoI) to probe the foiled murder plot of pro-freedom Sikh lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York as an eyewash aimed to hoodwink international powers and the aggrieved Sikh community. “It’s a clear and classic case of exonerating countries political leadership and external spy agency top brass that engineered extrajudicial and extra-territorial targeted killings of Khalistani activists”, he said. 

“It’s preposterous to believe that an individual (read Vikas Yadav), who was then attached with Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) have plotted the conspiracy on his own without taking then agency boss (Sumant Goel) in a loop. Can so-called high powered enquiry committee explain to Sikh Diaspora what enmity does Vikas has with Pannun that he hired a mercenary via Gupta to eliminate the latter”, he questioned. 

The Sikh groups also called upon the masses to stay away from all republic day celebrations across the Punjab in protest. 

“While India would celebrate its 75th republic year on Jan 26, we have no hesitation to place on record that the Constitution has failed the Punjab and the Sikh people. The establishment has used best democratic ideals and institutions, including the constitution to scuttle our religious, social and political aspirations”, they said. 

SAD (Amritsar) leader Harpal Singh Bler said, “At one point, India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, conveniently accepted the right to self-determination, including the right to secede. But later on, Indian leadership backtracked from his words, he chided.  The present Sikh struggle for independence from India was rooted in the betrayal of promises by Indian leaders”.

“It is regrettable that the present constitution of India deny nationalities having distinct identity, history and culture their right to self-determination as recognised under UN”, he said. 

He added, “While a majority of Sikhs continue to participate in the political life of India, the religio-political future of the people of Punjab is at risk”.  The leaders said their groups will contest and resist the “hypocrisy” of the Indian state, which is continuing its tirade and onslaught against Sikhs settled worldwide.