JALANDHAR: A District Court of US has issued Summons for visiting Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is currently visiting US, on the charges of police custodial torture and shielding the Police officers, DGP Sumedh Saini and others who are responsible for the extra judicial killings and continuous human rights violations, on a lawsuit filed by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a human rights advocacy group and Shiromani Akali Dal SAD (Amritsar) and “individual victims of police torture”.
The summons for Badal have been issued by District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on August 8 giving him 21 days to answer the charges of torture, practice of impunity to the police officers responsible for extrajudicial killings and continuous human rights violations of Sikhs in the State of Punjab in India.
SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun informed that the lawsuit against Badal seeks jury trial and certification of ‘Class” consisting of individuals who have ever been tortured during Badal regime.
The petition has alleged that during Badal’s tenure (from 1997 to 2002 and from 2007 till date) there have been several hundred cases of extrajudicial killings, police tortures and human rights violations but not even a single police officer in charge and responsible for the extra judicial killings has been investigated or prosecuted by Badal administration.
The petition has also pointed out Punjab DGP Sumedh Saini’s appointment as Punjab DGP to buttress its allegations against Badal while holding that despite overwhelming evidence available against Saini for his role in torture and extrajudicial killings of Sikhs in Badal Government has promoted him instead of prosecuting him.
It has also cited recent killings of Jaspal Singh in 2012, Sohan Singh in 2011, Shaminder Singh Shera in 2011 and Darshan Singh in 2009. Pannun said that Badal was not only protecting the past acts of police torture and extrajudicial killings committed between 1984-1997 but also continuing with blatant human rights violations and acts of torture by the police and other security forces under his command.
Three activists of SAD (Amritsar) Jeet Singh, his wife Gurdeep Kaur and Jagtar Singh are also among the petitioners alleging that they were tortured in police custody at various times duirng Badal’s regimes in Punjab.
The lawsuit against Chief Minister of the State of Punjab Badal has been filed under Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and The Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) based on the defendant authorized, commanded, or directed the unlawful acts of the security forces and Punjab Police operating under his command and authority.
Justifying filing of the lawsuit Panun said that seeking relief under the ATCA and TVPA was motivated by an interest in seeking some form of justice for hundreds of victims who were killed extra judicially and have suffered torture during the tenure of Badal as Punjab CM. “The lawsuit will raise awareness to the international community regarding the torture and extrajudicial killings of Sikhs in the state of Punjab, India by the security forces and will send a strong message to political leaders that they will not be able to visit United States without being answerable to the International laws and the Courts for their role in gross human rights violations.” added attorney Pannun.
News Source: Times of India
