World Sikh Organization Reacts to 'Breaking the Silence'

Ottawa: The World Sikh Organization of Canada
(WSO) has read the story "Operation Silence" by Tehelka.com with considerable
interest.
If the report is correct and Talwinder Singh Parmar was arrested,
interrogated for 4 days and then killed in a staged encounter, the Punjab
Police and Government of India have some serious questions to answer. Why was
Mr. Parmar tortured in custody during interrogation? Why was Mr. Parmar not
tried in a court of law? What was being covered up by this extra-judicial
killing? The Tehlka report indicates it was to shield the involvement of
Indian agents in the Air India tragedy. If this is true, it is a shocking
shame that must be condemned by the Government of Canada.
The Tehelka story repeats a proposition first publicly suggested by
authors Zuhair Kashmeri and Brian McAndrew, two Canadian journalists, in their
book entitled "Soft Target".
On June 27, 2007, following the sudden cancellation of the evidence of
two unknown witnesses to the Air India Inquiry, the WSO called on Justice
Major to ensure that the unidentified witnesses who were to appear at the
Inquiry were protected. With these details emerging that the witnesses were
members of the Punjab Human Rights Organization and a retired officer of the
Punjab Police, the issue of possible harm takes a completely different
meaning. Like human rights activists in the past, such as Jaswant Singh Khalra
who exposed thousands of fake encounters and illegal murders in custody by the
Punjab Police, these witnesses also face a genuine risk of harm or even death.
Mr. Khalra, following a trip to Canada where he spoke at a Parliamentary
dinner exposing the disappearances in the Punjab, himself fell victim to the
brutal tactics of the Punjab Police and was kidnapped and killed.
Although stories of torture and murder by the Punjab Police and Indian
authorities are not new, it is very concerning that these tactics may have
been used to thwart the investigation into the worst aviation disaster in
Canadian history.
31/07/07 CNW Telbec (Communiqués de presse), Canada

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Categories: Air India Aug 2007, Safety Aug 2007