Seeks Punjab Truth Commission; reiterates demand for National Award for Satluj and Bharat Ratna for Human Rights Defender Jaswant Singh Khalra
Jammu & Kashmir, Maintaining that history cannot be written selectively nor justice delivered partially, National Sikh Front (NSF) Chairman S. Varinderjeet Singh today urged the Government of India, in consultation with the Punjab Government, to constitute an independent Punjab Truth Commission to prepare a comprehensive and officially verified record of all those who lost their lives during the conflict in Punjab between 1982 and 1996. He also reiterated his demand for a National Award for Satluj, the film based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, besides conferring the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, upon Khalra.
In a statement issued here today, Varinderjeet Singh said the debate surrounding Satluj has once again underlined the need to establish a complete historical record of one of the most sensitive periods in Punjab’s history. He asserted that if the names of any category of victims are placed before the nation, the exercise must equally include Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, members of the security forces and every other innocent civilian who lost their lives during the conflict.
He proposed that the Truth Commission should independently examine government records, judicial proceedings, police and security force documents, reports of statutory bodies, testimonies of victims’ families and other documentary evidence before publishing an authenticated White Paper containing verified figures of all victims. “The objective is not to support any particular narrative but to establish historical truth through credible evidence,” he said.
Highlighting the grassroots reach of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Varinderjeet Singh said its democratically elected representatives from across Punjab could assist the proposed Commission in tracing historical records and reaching affected families in every village, town and city. He added that documentation compiled by the Jaswant Singh Khalra Mission, other recognised human rights organisations, researchers and civil society groups should also be examined, alongside official records, with every claim subjected to independent verification.
Describing Satluj as an important contribution to public understanding of Punjab’s troubled past, he said films dealing with historical events should be judged on their factual and artistic merit rather than political perceptions. Reiterating his earlier stand, he demanded that the film be honoured with a National Award, while Jaswant Singh Khalra be posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna for what he described as his outstanding contribution to the cause of human rights.
Appealing to all stakeholders to support an institutional process aimed at documenting history objectively, Varinderjeet Singh said, “No democracy is weakened by documenting the truth; it is weakened only when history is allowed to remain incomplete. Every innocent victim deserves equal dignity, and Punjab deserves a future built upon truth, justice and reconciliation rather than selective memory.
BY ZorawarSingh Sunderbani 9622360431
