By Gurmukh Singh
Toronto, June 10 (IANS) Two Canadian MPs, including Punjab-born Sukh Dhaliwal, gave a notice to table a petition in the nation’s parliament Wednesday asking the Canadian government to recognize the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India as an act of genocide.
But because of urgent government matters, the petition could be not tabled Wednesday.
Andrew Kania, who represents the Punjabi-dominant Brampton West constituency on the outskirts of Toronto, has joined Dhaliwal in moving the petition in the House. Dhaliwal, who moved to Canada in 1984, represents another Sikh-dominant constituency of Newton-North Delta on the outskirts of Vancouver.
Both the MPs, who belong to the opposition Liberal Party, say the petition has been signed by 10,000 people even as their party boss Michael Ignatieff has condemned the move.
Four other MPs, including Indo-Canadian Navdeep Bains and Gurbax Malhi, are also reportedly supporting the petition.
“The failure of successive Indian governments to bring to justice those responsible for mass revenge attacks on Sikhs after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi 25 years ago is a severe blot on India’s legal system and democracy,” the Globe and Mail newspaper quoted Bains as saying.
The petition drew angry reaction from many quarters.
“What happened to innocent Sikhs in 1984 was tragic event for which no guilty should be spared and we have been told that the Indian government is taking steps. But the petition is a mischievous and divisive step by these individuals who want to harm the Indo-Canadian community. The petition is only to promote their own agenda,” said Indo-Canadian leader and parliamentary secretary Deepak Obhrai.
“The Indian prime minister, who is the most respected Sikh in the world has made statements on this and the Indian government is addressing the issue. But these guys want to use Canada to divide India,” he said.
The Canada India Foundation (CIF), which is an advocacy group for better India-Canada relations, also condemned the petition as “calculated to inflame anti-India sentiments among the Sikh community.”
Calling it “yet another measure by an extremist fringe element to foment division with and within the Sikh community in Canada,” CIF spokesperson Manoj Pundit said, “The presentation of the petition in Parliament is ill-advised and ill-intentioned since there is no justification for Canada to take the position that the petition demands.
“We would surmise that the petition is deliberately timed to coincide with the upcoming arrival of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Canada for the G8/ G20 summit.”
(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh.s@ians.in)
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I do not understand why we Indians can not except what happened in 1984. If we really want to heel those wounds, then let us admit that the Congress party did commit an act of Genocide against Sikhs. I remember being in India and listening to very hateful speeches on the radio and TV against Sikhs.
I remember how they were hunted, simply because they were Sikhs. I am not saying that every Indian killed Sikhs, because I helped my friend hide out for 3 days. But If the definition of genocide is to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, the yes we did try to in part destroy Sikhs in November of 1984
I feel you are not doing justice to journalism or balanced media.
Your title is inappropriate and creates a divide where there is none. I don’t understand how this motion is dividing the average Indo- Canadian. Your title also calls the genocide a “sikh riot”. Do you know what is a riot is? Riot is what you will see over the next few days at the G20 summit. When protests break windows of Starbucks and Banks as a sign of protest to capitalism. 10000 people died over 3 days, and you have the nerve to call that a riot? You make me sick
Furthermore, Mr Obhrai says these people who support this petition want to “harm the community”?? how does that even make sense? How will this petition harm the community? It will help bring closure to all stakeholders. It is your job as a so called journalists to be balanced and ask questions to probe the truth. Mr Obhrai also says that the Government of India is taking step regarding 1984, why weren’t these steps highlighted and made clear. What steps is GOI taking to bring justice?
Here is an idea for your next article, World renown University, Yale, has a Genocide Studies Program. They say there are 7 steps to genocide, how about you look at them http://128.36.236.77/workpaper/pdfs/GS01.pdf and write how these do or don’t apply to 1984. Maybe that will help bring some respect to your weak journalism.
In the future, please be responsible to your job and report fair and balanced articles. Otherwise, the world will think you are the one who gets paid $10,000 per article (as mentioned by RCMP officer) by the GOI to create problems in the community.
As a student of human rights studies, I suggest you highlight and thank true politicians with the guts to stand up and speak for the truth and justice. Kudos to Andrew, Nav and Sukh.
Dave