| Memorandum | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 27 Oct 2015 | Asia Samachar |
Memorandum: Desecration of The Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
To: His Excellency Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, New Delhi
His Excellency Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab, Punjab
Through,
His Excellency Mr. T.S Tirumurti, Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia
High Commission of India, Level 28, Menara 1 Mon’t Kiara, No.1, Jalan Mon’t Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
cc: United Nations Malaysia, United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Amnesty International Malaysia, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia
From: Sikh Societies and Organisations, Malaysia
Date: 1600 hours, 27th Oct 2015
His Excellency Mr. Narendra Modi, Honourable Prime Minister of India
His Excellency Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Honourable Chief Minister of Punjab
We, the Sikh Societies and Organisations in Malaysia, write to express our concerns following the loss of lives and use of lethal force by the authorities to manage the peaceful protest in Punjab, India. As one voice representing Malaysian based Sikh Organizations, we are deeply troubled by these events and the violence which is escalating in Punjab and across India.
There have been continuous reports of the desecration of The Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji across Punjab which have hurt Sikh sentiments and caused deep grievance among Sikhs worldwide. The desecration, together with the inaction of the Indian Government and Punjab state authorities, have led to thousands of Sikhs and non-Sikhs protesting peacefully across Punjab and India.
The Sikhs of Malaysia, therefore, strongly urge the Indian Government and Punjab state authorities to take action against the perpetrators of these atrocities and demand that the safety and freedom of the Sikh people to practise their religion be preserved.
The unreasonable and unnecessary use of lethal force by Indian authorities to disperse these legitimate protesters has also resulted in several deaths and serious injuries, which in turn has increased tensions across Punjab and India. We implore you, in particular, to stop the use of force (lethal or otherwise) against your own citizens and defend their legitimate right to protest peacefully. Further, we urge you to direct the authorities to take immediate action to arrest and bring to justice not only those responsible for the persistent religious provocation across Punjab but also those members of the Indian forces responsible for the deaths and injuries of the protesters.
Additionally, due to these atrocities against the Sikh Gurdwaras, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and the Sikhs, we demand the Indian Government provide adequate protection to the Sikhs and take action to curb these attacks against them. Further, the Indian Government needs to recognise Sikhism as an independent world religion and to accept that Sikhism is a distinct and separate religion in the Indian legal system, in order to end the on-going and continuous attacks against the Sikhs.
In conclusion, we would like to reiterate that we condemn the Punjab police brutality and inhumane actions towards the peaceful and legitimate gatherings. We firmly denounce all the human rights violations including the killings and torture of Sikhs happening in Punjab currently. Finally, we seek the assurance of the authorities that there will be no further use of lethal force and that the democratic and human rights of those holding peaceful protests will be protected.
Jointly signed by,
SIKH NAUJAWAN SABHA MALAYSIA, PAVANDEEP SINGH
MALAYSIA GURDWARA COUNCIL, MALAYSIA (REPRESENT 125 GURDWARAS IN MALAYSIA), JAGIR SINGH
KHALSA DIWAN MALAYSIA, SANTOKH SINGH
YAYASAN SANT ATTAR SINGH JI BRAHM VIDYA NIKETAN MALAYSIA, SARABJEET SINGH
SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI ACADEMY MALAYSIA, RAJWANT SINGH
SIKH WOMEN AWARENESS NETWORK, MALAYSIA, GURUJIT KAUR
SRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI KHALSA GARH, MALAYSIA, GURPHAJAN SINGH
SIKH WELFARE SOCIETY, MALAYSIA, BALVINDER KAUR
BATAS MALAYSIA BERSEKUTU, MALAYSIA, HARPAL SINGH
GURU NANAK GURU GOBIND SINGH, FOUNDATION,MALAYSIA, AWTAR SINGH
SIKH INSIDE, MALAYSIA, AJIT SINGH
MALAYSIAN PUNJABI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIES, MALAYSIA, DATO DALJIT SINGH
TATT KHALSA DIWAN, MALAYSIA, HARBANS SINGH
SSU- KELAB AMAN, MALAYSIA, SUKDAV SINGH
PERTUBUHAN KEBAJIKAN NAAM MALAYSIA, RUPINDER SINGH
PERTUBUHAN PEMBANGUNAN INSAN SIKH (PPIS), DATO DR JASVINDER SINGH
SANT BABA SOHAN SINGH JI MEMORIAL SOCIETY, MALAYSIA, DALJIT SINGH
PERSATUAN WADDA GURDWARA PENANG, BALWINDER SINGH
PENANG SIKH ASSOCIATION, KULDIP SINGH SOHAN
MALAYSIAN SIKH UNION, SUKHJIT SINGH
MALAYSIAN NATIONAL SIKHS MOVEMENT, (GerakSikh), DATO AMARJIT SINGH GILL
COALLATION OF MALAYSIAN SIKH ORGANISATIONS, BHAG SINGH
PANCH KHALSA DIWAN MALAYA, HARJIT SINGH
SUBANG SIKH ASSOCIATION, MALAYSIA, AMREEK SINGH RANDHAWA
MALAYSIAN SIKH BAND (DASMESH), MALAYSIA, TARLOCHAN SINGH
JOHOR PUNJABI CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, DATO RANDHIR SINGH
JOHOR SIKH ASSOCIATION, AJIT SINGH
MALAYSIAN GATKA FEDERATION, BALVINDER SINGH
MALAYSIA FOODBANK ORGANISATION, CAPTAIN BAGAWAN SINGH
UNITED SIKHS HUMANITARIAN AID ORGANISATION MALAYSIA, SUNIL SHUKVIR SINGH
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