India: Name of the All India Sikh Student Federation (AISSF) president for Kapurthala District, 1992-1994; information on his disappearance around 1994, including whether a "Committee of 5" or other groups protested against his disappearance in Kapurthala (1994-2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 27 June 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IND34652.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Name of the All India Sikh Student Federation (AISSF) president for Kapurthala District, 1992-1994; information on his disappearance around 1994, including whether a "Committee of 5" or other groups protested against his disappearance in Kapurthala (1994-2000), 27 June 2000, IND34652.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad607c.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No reports indicating the name of the All India Sikh Student Federation (AISSF) president for Kapurthala District, 1992-1994, nor of a "Committee of 5" or other groups protesting his disappearance, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, a pro-Khalistan Website run by a Swarn Singh Dhaliwal provides information on the disappearance of a senior AISSF leader called Anup Singh in 1989. The source of the information is not clear, but it may be from a Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) investigation report published in the 4 October 1990 issue of The Tribune, a Chandigarh daily.
The cases of disappearance of Piara Singh and Anup Singh
Hundreds of Akali Dal(B) workers led by Sukhjinder Singh, along with members of (formerly All-India) Sikh Students Federation, on December 18th 1989, tried to besiege the Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Swaran Singh's office and also the nearby office of the Crime investigation Agency (CIA) to press the police to produce Anup Singh (32), a senior leader of the AISSF and Piara Singh (60), who were allegedly abducted by the police from Kassochahal and Lakhan Khurd villages respectively in the presence of local residents.
The Akali conscience pricked
Sukhjinder Singh, who, along with 500 political activists, was rounded up by the Kartarpur police to frustrate the former's attempt to besiege the police offices, went on a hunger strike until the detainees were set free or produced in court. Thousands of other villagers were prevented from joining the agitators by the police, resulting in injuries to half a dozen activists.
Once again thousands of Akali Dal workers and AISSF activists on December 22nd 1989, besieged the police picket outside the CIA building and in front of the office of the SSP, Kapurthala, demanding the production of the detainees and immediate release of all the protesters including Sukjinder Singh, who went on an indefinite hunger strike in the District Sub-Jail at Kapurthala.
The important leaders who participated in the siege and picketing included G.S. Tohra, President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), Thekedar Surjan Singh and Surjit Singh Sandhu, an AISSF leader. About 400 women led by Mohinder Kaur, wife of Sukhjinder Singh, staged a demonstration against the police. Prominent Hindus of the area also participated in the protest.
Tohra and Thekadar join the race
The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, D.R. Bhatti, the next day directed the police to register cases against police officials who had taken away Jathedar Piara Singh and Anup Singh. This decision was announced at a meeting of the District Envelopment and Grievances Committee held under the chairmanship of N.K. Arora, commissioner, Jalandhar Division.
Bhatti also directed the police to withdraw the case under section 107/151 Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) against Sukhjinder Singh and others. Sukhjinder Singh called off his nine-day-old hunger strike on December 26 after I.K. Gujral, Union Minister for External Affairs, made an appeal to do so. Accordingly, all the political activists along with Sukhjinder Singh were set free.
Gujral's appeal and withdrawal of agitation
More than ten months have passed since the withdrawal of the agitation at Kapurthala. The police has not released or produced the two detainees in court nor have they taken steps to punish the guilty officials.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
khalsa.ihcom.com . n.d. "Human Rights." Amnesty International country file. Dead Silence: Legacy of Abuses in Punjab. May 1994. (HRW) Enforced Disappearances, Arbitrary Executions and Secret Cremations: Victim Testimony and India's Human Rights Obligations. 1998. CCDP. IRB databases. Punjab in Crisis. August 1991. (HRW) Research Directorate "India" country file. World News Connection (WNC). Internet sites including: Hindustan Times [New Delhi]. Human Rights Internet (HRI). Human Rights Watch (HRW). Keesing's Record of World Events. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Political Parties and Youth Organizations Around the World. South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC). Internet search engines:Additional Sources Consulted
