4th October 2021 at 4:58 PM
Kendri Singh Sabha on Lakhimpur Kheri Killing
Killing of the peacefully protesting farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh was planned to crush their movement by unleashing the direct State-sponsored violence, that too, after openly threatening the protesters by a Federal Minister.
Sikh intellectuals associating with the Singh Sabha said such actions coming from those running the country’s Home Affairs was all the more condemnable and manifested the reversal of the democracy into a totalitarian regime which Indians should have to resist to preserve their hard earned freedom.
On Sunday six farmers including Lovepreet Singh (20), Daljeet Singh (35), Nachhattar Singh (60) and Gurvinder Singh (19) were mowed down by a car driven by the son of Union State Home Minister Ajay Mishra and injured around 12-15 other protesters.
Reports said that Ashish Mishra Teni (son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni) came with three vehicles around the time when the farmers were dispersing from their protest at the helipad and mowed them down. Also attacked and injured Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM} leader Tajinder Singh Virk when the attackers tried to run a vehicle over him. Before that attackers fired shots killing a farmer on the spot.
The Sikh thinkers said the gory incident shows that the Modi government has not only launched repression on the farmer movement but also attempting to communalise and polarise the society by singling out and targeting the farmers belonging to a visible and miniscule minority of the Sikhs in Uttar Pradesh. Already the government had made concerted efforts to project the Sikh farmers protesting at Delhi borders as “separatist Khalistanis and terrorists” to divide and weaken the farmer agitation.
Following Union State Minister Ajay Mishra ( see video), Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar too doled out open threats to the protesting farmers. He has openly instigated the BJP/ RSS workers at a meeting a few days ago asking them to organise themselves into armed groups all over Haryana and attack the protesting farmers.
The Haryana Chief Minister went to the extent of saying, “now there is no option but to mount an open attack on the farmers and such acts of theirs (BJP/RSS workers) would earn them prominence in politics and history.” (see video)
We appeal to the Opposition parties to come forward and openly join the agitating farmers to defeat the undemocratic moves of the frustrated Modi regime. We are sure the Opposition’s mere statements on condemnation of the incident and demanding like registering of murder case against the minister’s son and others would not serve the rightful purpose of the Indian democracy at this crucial juncture.
We also appeal to Punjabis and particularly Sikhs not to get provoked and resist peacefully the State sponsored violence on the farmers for a larger issue of saving the democracy.
At the same time, the role of 'godi' (lapdog) media is condemnable as it has been attempting either to suppress the tragic incident or projecting it as a clash between the protesting farmers and the BJP workers.
Signatories to the joint statement are: Former National Minority Commission Vice Chairman Prof Bawa Singh, Principal (retd) Sucha Singh, Senior journalists Jaspal Singh Sidhu and Sukhdev Singh , Dr Piare Lal Garg, Prof Manjit Singh, Editor Desh Punjab Gurbachan Singh Jalandhar, Dr Narinder Singh and Author Rajwinder Singh Rahi.
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