The month of June has been a black spot in the history of Sikh Religion. Guru Arjan Dev, Bhai Mani Singh and Banda Bahadur were martyred during this month. It was the month of June when the Kohi-noor Diamond was cheated away from the Sikh Raj. And, now, in the contemporary history, the holiest of the holy Sikh shrine, Akal Takht Amritsar, was invaded by the Armed Forces of the Government of India in the pretext to annihilate the undesirable militants. In the genocide that followed, thousands of innocent men, women and children were put to death by their own kith and kin. Under the disguise to eradicate the forces of diversion, whole Sikh Nation was taken to task.

For the Sikhs, through out the world, the first week of June has become a week of remembrance and paying tributes. Along with the commemoration of the martyrdom of Guru Arajn Dev, once again, a Conference was held in the Sikh Temple, Dixie Road in Mississauga (Canada) on Sunday the June 4 to honour the martyrs of 1984. A number of distinguished guest speakers participated in the proceedings.

Mr. Mohinder Singh Jawanda, the National President of the World Sikh Organisation referred to the remarks made by a previous Prime Minister of India (Morarji Desai) what the two Gilded Gates outside the Golden Temple were doing there, they should be at the Som Nath Temple. (These gates were taken away by Mahmood Gazni but were brought back by Maharajah Ranjit Singh. The Maharajah had offered the Pundits of the Som Nath to take them away but the Pundits refused to accept them as they had been in the possession of Malaichas, the barbarians). The gates are not the only thing, Mr. Jawanda pointed out, Hindu Rulers of India want to take away everything Sikhism to absorb the Sikhs into the main Hindu stream. He said that no Sikh, neither Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale, wanted to separate from Indian. They wanted to remain inside India honourably, but as, Sant Bhindrawale said, the day India Government entered Durbar Sahib, that day the foundation stone of the Khalistan would be laid. Although India claims to be the biggest democracy, through out the post independent period, the Sikh have been discriminated; Bal Thakray can say what ever he likes, his statements are most prejudicial and they are through out racist, but he is going around scot free. On the other hand, people like Simranjit Singh Mann, with genuine grievances, are put in the prisons without any recourse to justice. The greatest setbacks for the Sikhs are their own leaders; most of them are acting as the mouth piece of the Government of India. He compared the behaviour of Morarji Desai, after the Nirankari episode, with the attitude of Aurangzeb at the time of the persecution of Guru Tegh Bahadur; instead of showing sympathy towards the innocent victims, killed by the Nirankaris, Mr. Desai had asked why the Sikhs had gone there to protest (against the persons who had been flouting and ridiculing the Sikh decorum). Contemplating on the pre-1947 exchanges, he pointed out that the Sikhs demand for their own zone, wherever they were 20% of the population, was rejected outright whereas the same British Government created Jewish home land with a Jewish population of merely 10%. He commended Dixie Sikh Temple for endowing overwhelming support during the Turban Case, which was decided in favour of turban in the R.C.M.P., in the Supreme Court of Canada.

The details of the Turban Case were narrated by young Sikh lawyer, Kulvinder Kaur from B.C. She had been very active in presenting the case both in the lower court and the Supreme Court. She was presented with a robe of honour for her magnanimous services.

As, ever, the policy stalwart of World Sikh Organisation, Mr. Gian Singh Sandhu was most explicit. He explained why Indra Gandhi had picked up, particularly, this day for her action. To liquidate the `terrorists' was just an excuse, she could have chosen some quiet period for the purpose. But she wanted to `teach a lesson' to the whole Sikh Nation. She knew that there would be a gathering of thousands of Sikh devotees on the Martyrdom Day of Shri Guru Arjan Dev and her action would be most effective. He spoke on the Ideas and Conceptions of Sikhism. He lamented how, in their own country, Sikhs could not practice their own religion. Each individual has the right to practise his or her own belief but the Government of India could not tolerate.

He also deplored the reaction of the current Sikh-leadership, and the main reason of failure, he found, was that the goals were set but the strategies to achieve the goals were never formulated in their right perspective. In the armed struggle for Khalistan, he condemned the way any body with facial Sikh decorum, without checking his credentials, was handed over an AK47.

At the end he stressed to attain the true spirit of Sikhism both in mind and body and recognise own efforts.

Mr. Jaswant Singh Khera, General Secretary of the International Human Rights Organisation from Punjab was the keynote speaker. He presented historical background; how Durbar Sahib, Amritsar was repeatedly attacked to erase its identity. First there were Muslim invaders, then came the subtle means of the British Government through the aegis of so-called mahants, and now so called our own Government. They all had perceived that Akal Takht was the symbol of the Sikh Human Rights, and to face any tyranny the Sikhs gathered there to invigorate their spirits to fight for the just cause. Immediately after the Sikh Raj, idols were installed in the precincts of Durbar Sahib and when the Singh Sabha Movement wanted to clear them out to instil the sanctity of the Sikh Decorum, it was Mahatma Gandhi who vehemently opposed the move. Now the Government stresses that the religious places should be free from political activities, but it was Mahatma Hans Raj who had approached the Sikhs to start Morchas in Amritsar against the British Marshal Law, each time emanating from the Durbar Sahib. He also warned those Sikhs who acquiesced to the wishes of the present day Rulers; the Dharam Yudh Morcha, which was initiated from a place other than Durbar Sahib, failed miserably, and he praised Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale for bringing the struggle back to Akal Takht. He also pointed out to the objection of Indra Government to the accumulation of arms in the Durbar Sahib precincts. He stressed that there was nothing irreligious about this practice; it was initiated by Guru Hargobind who had asked the congregationalist and the devotees to present arms and horses to prepare the Nation to defend the faith. Even though all the records of the infringement of human rights have been broken in Punjab, the glory of the Akal Takht is still prominent and no power on the earth can bring down the power of Sikhism.

The occasion was endowed prominence with the appearance of U.S. Congressman Mr.Doolittle through the aegis of Mr. Deedar Singh Bains of California. The Congessman has been working with the Sikh Community for a long time, and he always admired their integrity. He learned about the Human Rights violations in India through the Asia Watch and took the cause to the U.S. Congress with the other Congreemen. He believed in the life with liberty and happiness, and was sorry to note that these basic rights were taken away in India. In spite of India's strong lobby the people in U.S. fully understood, and the Congress was moving forward to force Government of India to respect the Human Rights.

Mr. Harbhajan Singh Pandori, in winding up the seminar, thanked the guest speakers. He propounded that it was not in the Punjab alone, the Sikh were denied their rights in Canada too. He strongly condemned the proposed Head-tax to be levied on the immigrants. He forcefully condemned the discriminatory policies of the Liberal Party and the Liberal Government; he explained that most of the derogatory steps taken against the ethnic minorities were during the Liberal Party regime. The Sikh Community have been very sympathetic to the cause of freedom fighters in South Africa; when Mr. Mandela visited Toronto, Dixie Sikh Temple donated him $10,000. But, Mr. Pandori explained, it were all the African Nations who opposed the application made by the Sikh Nation for an observer status in the U.N. He was overwhelmed with the turban victory in the Supreme Court as the Dixie Sikh Temples has been foremost in contributing not only the moral support but also more thirty thousand dollars to meet the costs.

He informed the audience that the Dixie Sikh Temple had ventured into the purchase of eleven and half acres of land adjoining the present site and appealed the public to contribute generously to complete the deal. The proposals for the building of a Community Centre, an Old-people Home and/or a Khalsa School are being contemplated.

Pritpal Singh Bindra

Mississauga, Ontario