A Criminal Force

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071103/edit.htm#4

A criminal force?
Many blots on policemen’s khaki
by Punyapriya Dasgupta
THE ghost of an outspoken judge is haunting the Indian establishment. A pronouncement by Justice Anand Narain Mulla of the Allahabad High Court nearly half a century ago is often quoted even today. He said: “There is not a single lawless group in the whole of the country whose record of crime comes anywhere near the record of that single organised unit which is known as the Indian Police Force..”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071103/punjab1.htm#15

HC acts upon plea of blast accused
Had claimed cops killed co-accused kin
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 2
Acting on an application filed by Davinder Singh Bhullar, an accused in the Saini blast case, claiming that his father and uncle along with other accused in the matter were eliminated by the police, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

The Bench, comprising Justice M.S. Gill and Justice Nawab Singh, also fixed November 6 as the next date of hearing in the matter after senior advocate R.S. Rai accepted the notice on UT’s behalf and Rajan Gupta took it on the CBI’s behalf.

Sentenced to death in another case, Bhullar is currently lodged in Tihar Jail and his mercy petition is lying before the President.

In his application, filed soon after the CBI was asked by the High Court to look into the whereabouts of the proclaimed offenders, Bhullar sought permission to hand over evidence to the court in affidavit form in a sealed cover.

The evidence will help the CBI reach the conclusion about whether the accused, Balwant Singh Multani, Navneet Singh and Manjit Singh were eliminated by the police.

Seeking directions for referring the matter of the probable elimination of his two relatives to the CBI in light of probe orders, he asserted that his father Balwant Singh Bhullar and maternal uncle Manjit Singh had also been abducted by the Chandigarh Police when Multani was picked up.

Going into the background of the matter, Bhullar stated that his hand was suspected in the August 1991 blast in which the then UT senior superintendent of police Sumedh Singh Saini was injured, while three other policemen lost their lives.

As he was not available, Chandigarh Police took his uncle and subsequently his father in custody. Bhullar added that he now wanted to bring to the court’s knowledge that along with his two relatives, others, including Multani were in illegal custody

Clemency for Davinderpal Singh Bhullar want Akalis

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030319/punjab1.htm
Akalis undecided on unityBut one on clemency for Davinderpal Singh Bhullar
Lalit Mohan
Anandpur Sahib, March 18
The various Akali Dals at separate conferences on the eve of Hola Mohalla here today, demanded clemency for Davinderpal Singh Bhullar sentenced to death by the Supreme Court for bomb blast in front of India Youth Congress office at New Delhi.
From left: Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Mr Surjan Singh Thekedar, Mr Sukhdev Singh Bhaur and Mr Suchcha Singh Chhotepur at the SHSAD conference; Mr Simranjit Singh Mann along with his party leaders at the SAD (Amritsar) conference.
The SAD (Badal) conference passed a resolution to this effect. The resolution was read by Capt Kanwaljit Singh, former Punjab Finance Minister decried death sentence of Bhullar and demanded clemency for him. Similar resolutions were also adopted at the conferences of the SHSAD and the SAD (Amritsar).
Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, general secretary, SHSAD, told the Press that all Akali parties would jointly present a memorandum to the President of India on March 30 demanding commutation of Bhullar’s sentence.
Mr Parkash Singh Badal at a press conference also said that sentence on Devinder Pal Singh to be illegal. Devinder Bhullar was extradited from Germany on the condition that he would not be given death sentence. But in the case of Bhullar the above fact had been ignored, he alleged.
Mr Badal also alleged that none of the accused in the 1984 riots against the Sikhs had been sentenced but Bhullar only a co-accused had been sentenced.
Later addressing the conference Mr Badal accused the Congress government in the state of interfering in internal affairs of the Sikhs. Capt Amarinder Singh was trying to take control of the religious places of the Sikhs by force. He tried to do the same in SGPC elections but failed, he added.
The government in the state had gone back on election promises and taxes had been imposed on people and many welfare schemes and free power for the weaker sections started by the previous government stopped.
Mr B.S. Ramoowalia, president of the Lok Bhalai Party, addresses a conference at Anandpur Sahib on Tuesday.
Lieut-Gen Baldev Singh Randhawa (retd) addresses ex-servicemen at the Rashtriya Raksha Dal conference in Anandpur Sahib on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph
People gather at Anandpur Sahib on the eve of Hola Mohalla.
The farmers of the state facing hardship had been burdened with electricity bills on tubewells and cess on canal water, Mr Badal alleged.
Capt Kanwaljit Singh alleged lawlessness prevailed in the state and opposition leaders were being harassed. Alleging rigging of the recently concluded Municipal Council elections, he said that if voted to power the SAD would have the things rectified.
Jathedar Kirpal Singh Badungar, president of the SGPC, alleged that the Congress was encouraging vested interests to interfere in religious affairs of the Sikhs. The recent attack by activists of the Khalsa Panchayat on SGPC officials in the Golden Temple complex was one such act of the Congress, he alleged. Bibi Jagir Kaur, former president of the SGPC, Mr Sucha Singh Langah, former Punjab minister, Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder, general secretary of the SAD, Bibi Satwant Kaur Sandhu former Punjab minister also addressed the conference.
Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, told the Press that unity between the Akali Dals was possible.
A recent meeting between SHSAD president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Mr Prakash Singh Badal had raised hopes of unity of the Akali parties but the issue had not been discussed by the parties, he said. On the re-installation of Bhai Ranjit Singh as Jathedar of Akal Takht, Mr Chandumajra said that it could be sorted out through dialogue.
He hoped that the “beating” at the hands of the Congress would force the Akali Dals to unity.
Optimism of Mr Chandumajra on unity was, however, not shared by president of the SAD Prakash Singh Badal. Mr Badal declined to comment on the issue of unity.
The SHSAD, president Gurcharan Singh Tohra failed to attend the conference of the party due to health reasons. Mr Sukhdev Singh Bhaur also addressed the political conference. He accused the Congress government of victimising opposition leaders. He alleged rigging of Municipal Council elections of use of police force too.
Mr Simranjit Singh Mann president of the SAD (Amritsar), in a resolution, adopted on the eve of Hola Mohalla urged the Union government to declare SGPC elections.
He alleged that SGPC elections were due for one and half years, and the Union Government was not keen on holding these fearing that its alliance partner might lose hold on the mini parliament of the Sikhs. The SAD (A) threatened to internationalise the issue of SGPC elections.
Later at the conference of his party Mr Mann said that his party had taken a vow to pull down the leadership of M/s Tohra and Badal for they betrayed the Sikhs politically and religiously.
He also ruled out unity of his party with other Akali Dals. Both Mr Badal and Mr Tohra had no principles, he alleged. Mr Mann further said that his party demanded that Sikh jathas should be allowed to go to Pakistan for pilgrimage on Baisakhi this year as per the Liaquat-Nehru at Pact.

House of Commons discuss Bhullar case

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm061205/halltext/61205h0002.htm
An issue raised regularly in debates is that of human rights. The all-party group was formed, as I have said, more than a decade ago as a human rights group. We still take up individual cases and I would like to raise yet again the case of Professor Devinderpal Singh Bhullar. Many hon. Members will know the background to this case so I will not delay the debate by going through the details except to say that Professor Bhullar is now awaiting a death sentence. He confessed to crimes under torture and we believe he was deported from Germany illegally. Many consider him to be a prisoner of conscience. We welcome whatever assistance the Government can provide on liaison and representation to the Indian Government to ensure that the death sentence is lifted from Professor
5 Dec 2006 : Column 12WHBhullar. We have maintained our position as a group regarding our representations to the Indian Government about their refusal to admit UN rapporteurs on torture into the Punjab. We are liaising with organisations such as Liberation. My hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn), the chair of Liberation, has raised that issue and other members of that group have raised it via the UN itself.

Protest in Delhi against death penalty to Bhullar on March 30

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/40499289.cms
Protest in Delhi against death penalty to Bhullar on March 30

LUDHIANA: A protest spearheaded by Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar Defence Committee, which represents Sikh bodies, political groups and other organisations, will be staging a demonstration in Delhi on March 30 to protest against the death penalty awarded to Bhullar on the charge of plotting to murder a Congress leader. Before staging a protest in Delhi, the committee will be raising the issue at Holla Mohalla celebrations in Anandpur Sahib on March 19. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting at Amb Sahib in Mohali on March 14 where a unanimous resolution was passed to this effect, said DS Gill, co-ordinator of the committee. Justice A S Bains in strong words censured the Supreme Court for rejecting the curative plea filed by former union law minister Ram Jethmalani on behalf of Prof Bhullar and said that ‘‘the SC has exposed itself as a tool in the hands of ruling politicians who seem to be committed to finish off the minorities’’. Many other speakers rejected the view expressed by Jethmalani that he would like to file a fresh writ under Article 32 of the Constitution. Former finance minister and Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary Capt Kanwaljit Singh said that the Sikhs should not expect much from the judiciary. ‘‘The time has come for a struggle,” he declared. Even, Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat convener Bhai Rajinder Singh Khurana recommended that ‘‘we should not approach the President of India for pardon as they are committed to running down the minorities’’. ‘‘We, the Sikhs have lost faith in the Indian judicial system,’’ he added. Despite Sikh bodies in Delhi seeking postponement of the protest as a Delhi-based eminent lawyer would again approach the Supreme Court, All India Shiromani Akali Dal (AISAD) Youth Wing President Karnail Singh Panjoli said: ‘‘We should not wait for too long or it will be too late for anything.” The Holla Mohalla, he said, should be used as a platform to mobilise public opinion on the issue. SAD (Amritsar) leader Charan Singh Lohara said, ‘‘Sikhs are on their agenda as Muslims have been in Gujarat. That’s why they have charged Simranjit Singh Mann under Tada after 15 years.” ‘‘This house of Panthic organisations strongly condemns the Supreme Court’s rejection of the curative plea of Bhullar sentencing him to death without evidence. And in protest, this house calls on all Panthic organisations and Sikhs to join the protest march and rally to be held at Delhi on March 30,” reads the resolution.

French Sikhs To Protest Against Death Penalty

http://www.sadapunjab.com/cv/New_Channels/SadaPunjab_News/French_Sikhs_To_Protest_Against_Death_Penalty/index0.html

French Sikhs To Protest Against Death Penalty

Written by Shingara Singh Mann ( Punjabwire.com )
France (Paris) : In Paris, the Sikhs of France are organising, a gathering in order to protest against the death penalty and unfairly detained Sikh prisoners in India. The gathering is planned to take place at Place Passy, 75016 Paris between 2pm and 4pm on January 30th, 2006. French Sikhs will lodge a petition with the Indian Embassy in Paris, showing their opposition to the death penalty and claiming the release of all Sikh political prisoners unjustly detained in prison in India. .
January 17, 2006 marked the anniversary of one of the most controversial death sentence cases in the history of modern India. On January 17th 1995, Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar, a Sikh political activist was illegally expelled from Germany. He was to return to India on the basis that he would have nothing to fear as far as his personal safety was concerned and that his life would not be in danger in any way there.
However, on his arrival in New Delhi, he was arrested and put in prison, tortured to produce a false confession and subsequently accused and condemned to death for a crime he did not commit.
After Professor Devinderpal Singh Bhullar’s deportation, the Court of Appeal in Frankfurt accepted his appeal for asylum and judged that he should not have been sent back to a country where he would have to face torture and incur the death penalty. This verdict of the Court of Appeal came too late for Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar.
Germany, by expelling Davinderpal Singh Bhullar to a country which has not abolished the death penalty, did not respect his right to asylum and in doing so violated the European Convention of Human Rights.
Germany and the European Union, therefore, have the moral obligation to guarantee that the sentence passed against Davinderpal Singh Bhullar by India will be overturned and that other political prisoners maintained in detention without lawsuit there, under false charges, or without evidence, in some cases for periods as long as since 20 years will be released.

Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar’s fate uncertain

http://www.mahapunjab.org/ensaaf/PRF/ihro02.html

International Human Rights Organisation
210, New District Judicial Complex, Ludhiana
Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar’s fate uncertain
Sikh Panth need to take up his case once again
Where the judicial process ends, President of any country’s jurisdiction begins. In one’s march to justice, President is the last resort in terms of the provisions of the Constitution of that country, as we also see in India and Pakistan. Generally, presidents are constitutionally empowered to mitigate the errors that sometimes creep into judicial pronouncements due to certain legalistic compulsions and political prejudices. In view of this, we in Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar Defence Committee, representing the Sikh Panth, took up the case of Prof Bhullar with President of India in March 2003. The professor is facing gallows and has become victim of the fractured judicial judgement of the Supreme Court of India. The apex court, more than even the lower courts, took a starkly legalistic view on the death sentence given to Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, in Delhi Bomb Blast Case, based on erroneous and fabricated confessional statement under TADA, as now has been alleged by India and others in the case of Sarbjit Singh alias Manjit Singh who is facing gallows in Pakistan almost in similar circumstances. The only difference between them seems to be that Prof Bhullar is Indian citizen while Sarbjit Singh is accused of being RAW agent who worked in enemy country (Pak) under the guise of Manjit Singh.Devinderpal Singh was convicted of conspiracy based solely on a confession extracted under torture and repudiated by him. However, his alleged co-conspirator, Daya Singh Lahoria, was found not guilty. In criminal law, a conspiracy by definition requires at least two people. A conspiracy of one- as is the case here where Devinderpal Singh's co-conspirator was found not guilty- is a legal fiction. Moreover, the confessional statement was signed by a thumbprint. For a man who is highly educated, the sign of a thumbprint implies duress. Furthermore, none of the 133 witnesses produced by the prosecution identified Professor Bhullar, while the case was in lower court.That Amnesty International's opposition to death penalty is unconditional and is based on the facts that every execution violates the fundamental human right to life and the right not to be subjected to torture or any other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as laid down in Articles 6 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the UN Covenant to which India is a party. The Amnesty International, in its report, while recommending the Government of India to consider certain corrective measures, too, had urged the Government to "take immediate steps to abolish the death penalty totally, in furtherance of UN objective of ultimate abolition of capital punishment." Pending total abolition, AI had further asked the Indian Government to "ensure that the outstanding death sentences should be commuted, including that of Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar." In addition, on April 28, 1999, the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNHRC) overwhelmingly voted for a resolution that had called for a global moratorium on the death penalty. India is a signatory to both the UDHR and the ICCPR. Besides, the Constitution of India has enshrined the Right to Life as a Fundamental Right (Article 21). And importantly, the Evidence Act does not consider confessions made before the police officer as valid as has been in the case of Prof Bhullar.That we also know that death penalty is used by some States to silence political resistance or to eliminate their opponents. And for this purpose, laws such as TADA are used where fair trial is not at all possible. If justice is secured only by an act of killing, how legitimate is the law that sanctions that sort of justice. We all know that God alone can take away life because He alone gives it. Why then, we arrogate to ourselves to finish it off, even though firmly believing that Ultimate Justice lies with God. And to supplement this spirit, Article 51A of the Indian Constitution urges compassion and humanism as fundamental duties. The Constitutional power under Article 72 of granting amnesty is an executive act and not a judicial one. It is also an act of grace, “when it is full, it releases the punishment and blots out the existence of the guilt, so that in the eye of law, the offender is as innocent as if he had never committed the offence” (Ex parte Garland, (1873) 18 Law Edition 366. The reason why the Executive is given such power, says Mr Taft, CJ, in American case (Ex parte Grossman, 27 US 87: 69 Law Edition 527), “(It) affords relief from undue harshness or evident mistake in the operation or enforcement of the criminal law.” Thus, you sir, being the Head of the State, should kindly correct, in the national interest, the blunder committed by the Judiciary in the enforcement of criminal law,” (such as TADA).We had earnest­ly hoped that President would uphold the dignity, independence and prerogative of his office and give a judicious and compassionate consideration to the representation, which was filed on behalf of the entire Sikh Panth, including Sikhs living abroad and that he would not allow his steps to falter in exercising compassionately and humanely the sacred and super power given to him by the Indian Constitution to grant amnesty to Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar. And that too, when the entire Sikh community has been watching the Government of India's tactics of sending persons like Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh to the gallows and giving ministe­rial berths and offices to conspirators and murderers of thousands of Sikhs.Pascal has rightly stated, "Power without justice is soon questioned." Sikhs and other minorities have been and continue to be subjected to repression and injustices of many kinds. Your Excellency's wiser and enlightened timely step of amnesty to Prof Bhullar may not only give them a healing touch but may even persuade the governments to change their policies of re­pression and keeping innocent people indefinitely in prison for a long time or killing mere suspects in faked encounters, we had urged the President in the petition. Justice M. B. Shah had acquitted Professor Bhullar, stating that the conspiracy theory falls flat as the "rest of the accused who are named in the confessional statement are not convicted or tried." In view of these facts, we respectfully appealed to the President, A P J Abdul Kalam, to take a politically and constitutionally correct decision of not only commuting the death sentence but also of freeing Prof Bhullar and earn the warm gratitude of the crores of the Sikhs.But the then Central government led by BJP did not think it proper to recommend the case to the President. The deputy PM, L K Advani was only interested in the unity of Badal- Tohra leaders. After getting united, the Akali leaders also did not put pressure on the government. The RSS and the Indian security agencies too neutralised the impact, created by the Panthic groups here in India, by manoeuvring the leadership of the South Asian Human Rights Group then active at Vancouver end.Interestingly, the Central government, the Congress, the BJP, including Akali Dal Badal, are proactive for saving the life of an alleged Indian RAW agent facing death in Pakistan, while they have totally forgotten the case of Prof Bhullar, the Indian citizen whose whole family has been victim of state repression. So, the Sikh Nation should once again take up the case of Prof Bhullar as his fate hangs in the balance.D S GillChair IHRO
tableWorkaround(9)

Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's fate uncertain

http://www.panthic.org/news/125/ARTICLE/1732/2005-09-04.html
Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's fate uncertain
Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's fate uncertain
Sunday 4th of September 2005
D.S. Gill - IHRO
(KP) - Sikh Panth needs to take up his case once again
Where the judicial process ends, President of any country's jurisdiction begins. In one's march to justice, President is the last resort in terms of the provisions of the Constitution of that country, as we also see in India and Pakistan. Generally, presidents are constitutionally empowered to mitigate the errors that sometimes creep into judicial pronouncements due to certain legalistic compulsions and political prejudices. In view of this, we in Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar Defence Committee, representing the Sikh Panth, took up the case of Prof Bhullar with President of India in March 2003. The professor is facing gallows and has become victim of the fractured judicial judgement of the Supreme Court of India. The apex court, more than even the lower courts, took a starkly legalistic view on the death sentence given to Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, in Delhi Bomb Blast Case, based on erroneous and fabricated confessional statement under TADA, as now has been alleged by India and others in the case of Sarbjit Singh alias Manjit Singh who is facing gallows in Pakistan almost in similar circumstances. The only difference between them seems to be that Prof Bhullar is Indian citizen while Sarbjit Singh is accused of being RAW agent who worked in enemy country (Pak) under the guise of Manjit Singh.
Devinderpal Singh was convicted of conspiracy based solely on a confession extracted under torture and repudiated by him. However, his alleged co-conspirator, Daya Singh Lahoria, was found not guilty. In criminal law, a conspiracy by definition requires at least two people. A conspiracy of one- as is the case here where Devinderpal Singh's co-conspirator was found not guilty- is a legal fiction. Moreover, the confessional statement was signed by a thumbprint. For a man who is highly educated, the sign of a thumbprint implies duress. Furthermore, none of the 133 witnesses produced by the prosecution identified Professor Bhullar, while the case was in lower court.
That Amnesty International's opposition to death penalty is unconditional and is based on the facts that every execution violates the fundamental human right to life and the right not to be subjected to torture or any other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as laid down in Articles 6 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the UN Covenant to which India is a party. The Amnesty International, in its report, while recommending the Government of India to consider certain corrective measures, too, had urged the Government to "take immediate steps to abolish the death penalty totally, in furtherance of UN objective of ultimate abolition of capital punishment." Pending total abolition, AI had further asked the Indian Government to "ensure that the outstanding death sentences should be commuted, including that of Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar." In addition, on April 28, 1999, the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNHRC) overwhelmingly voted for a resolution that had called for a global moratorium on the death penalty. India is a signatory to both the UDHR and the ICCPR. Besides, the Constitution of India has enshrined the Right to Life as a Fundamental Right (Article 21). And importantly, the Evidence Act does not consider confessions made before the police officer as valid as has been in the case of Prof Bhullar.
That we also know that death penalty is used by some States to silence political resistance or to eliminate their opponents. And for this purpose, laws such as TADA are used where fair trial is not at all possible. If justice is secured only by an act of killing, how legitimate is the law that sanctions that sort of justice. We all know that God alone can take away life because He alone gives it. Why then, we arrogate to ourselves to finish it off, even though firmly believing that Ultimate Justice lies with God. And to supplement this spirit, Article 51A of the Indian Constitution urges compassion and humanism as fundamental duties. The Constitutional power under Article 72 of granting amnesty is an executive act and not a judicial one. It is also an act of grace, "when it is full, it releases the punishment and blots out the existence of the guilt, so that in the eye of law, the offender is as innocent as if he had never committed the offence" (Ex parte Garland, (1873) 18 Law Edition 366. The reason why the Executive is given such power, says Mr Taft, CJ, in American case (Ex parte Grossman, 27 US 87: 69 Law Edition 527), "(It) affords relief from undue harshness or evident mistake in the operation or enforcement of the criminal law." Thus, you sir, being the Head of the State, should kindly correct, in the national interest, the blunder committed by the Judiciary in the enforcement of criminal law," (such as TADA).
We had earnest­ly hoped that President would uphold the dignity, independence and prerogative of his office and give a judicious and compassionate consideration to the representation, which was filed on behalf of the entire Sikh Panth, including Sikhs living abroad and that he would not allow his steps to falter in exercising compassionately and humanely the sacred and super power given to him by the Indian Constitution to grant amnesty to Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar. And that too, when the entire Sikh community has been watching the Government of India's tactics of sending persons like Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh to the gallows and giving ministe­rial berths and offices to conspirators and murderers of thousands of Sikhs.
Pascal has rightly stated, "Power without justice is soon questioned." Sikhs and other minorities have been and continue to be subjected to repression and injustices of many kinds. Your Excellency's wiser and enlightened timely step of amnesty to Prof Bhullar may not only give them a healing touch but may even persuade the governments to change their policies of re­pression and keeping innocent people indefinitely in prison for a long time or killing mere suspects in faked encounters, we had urged the President in the petition. Justice M. B. Shah had acquitted Professor Bhullar, stating that the conspiracy theory falls flat as the "rest of the accused who are named in the confessional statement are not convicted or tried." In view of these facts, we respectfully appealed to the President, A P J Abdul Kalam, to take a politically and constitutionally correct decision of not only commuting the death sentence but also of freeing Prof Bhullar and earn the warm gratitude of the crores of the Sikhs.
But the then Central government led by BJP did not think it proper to recommend the case to the President. The deputy PM, L K Advani was only interested in the unity of Badal- Tohra leaders. After getting united, the Akali leaders also did not put pressure on the government. The RSS and the Indian security agencies too neutralised the impact, created by the Panthic groups here in India, by manoeuvring the leadership of the South Asian Human Rights Group then active at Vancouver end.
Interestingly, the Central government, the Congress, the BJP, including Akali Dal Badal, are proactive for saving the life of an alleged Indian RAW agent facing death in Pakistan, while they have totally forgotten the case of Prof Bhullar, the Indian citizen whose whole family has been victim of state repression. So, the Sikh Nation should once again take up the case of Prof Bhullar as his fate hangs in the balance. The editors can be reached at Editors@panthic.org

Sikhs join hands on Bhullar’s clemency

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030330/nation.htm#4
Sikhs join hands on Bhullar’s clemencyTribune News Service
New Delhi, March 29In a rare show of solidarity cutting across party lines, all Sikh groups will march up to Parliament on Sunday to press for clemency to Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, who has been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court, for his involvement in the Indian Youth Congress bomb blast case.
The Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar Defence Committee, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and Amritsar’s Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will jointly march and submit a petition to the President for commuting the sentence to life imprisonment, the general secretary of the SHSAD, Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, said here today.
Parliamentarians from Canada, Germany and Britain have also appealed to the President for commuting the sentence, the committee said.
“Now that the six-member Bench of the Supreme Court has dismissed the curative petition of Bhullar in the IYC bomb blast case, the President, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, should reject the clemency petition, who has been convicted by the highest court in the country,” the President of the All-India Anti Terrorist Front, Mr M.S. Bitta, said. The former IYC President was injured in the blast.
The committee said there was a great resentment in the Sikh community that not a single perpetrator of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots had been punished and even the sentence of Kishori, convicted for the riots in three cases, was commuted to life by the apex court.

Bhullar’s sentence: protest on March 30

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030317/ldh1.htm

Bhullar’s sentence: protest on March 30

Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, March 16The Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar Defence Committee, representing Sikh bodies, political groups and other organisations have decided to hold a demonstration in Delhi on March 30 in protest against the apex court verdict awarding death penalty to Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar. The committee also announced here today that its outfits would raise the issue at the Holla Mohalla celebrations in Anadpur Sahib on March 19.
This was decided at a meeting of different outfits held recently at Gurdwara Amb Sahib, SAS Nagar, according to Mr D.S. Gill, coordinator of the Defence Committee.
It may be recalled that Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar was awarded the death penalty for his alleged involvement in the Bitta bombing case. The Supreme Court had rejected his appeal and review petition. And on March 13, a Bench comprising six judges, including the Chief Justice, had rejected Bhullar’s curative plea.
Sikh leaders, however, maintained that none of the 133 witnesses had endorsed Bhullar’s involvement in the case and the sentence was awarded only on the basis of charges framed by the police.