:dateline:Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa continues to advocate�for�the release of political prisoners languishing in jails despite having completed their sentences. Bapu Surat Singh said that he does not wish to be force fed.� �My only desire is to seek the release of political prisoners who have completed their terms,� he said. �”My hunger strike is in protest against the government for its inaction in releasing these prisoners on a timely basis.� Why would I allow the administration to force feed me?”
Yesterday, Bapu Surat Singh removed the force feeding pipes that were placed on him by�the doctors at DMC Hero Heart Hospital.� Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa has remained without food for more than 25 days now.� His hunger strike�started on January 16, 2015, but he has been force fed by the authorities on many�occasions.
Bhavandeep Singh Sidhu of the Bandi Singh Rehai Sangharsh Committee said, �The Government doesn�t want Bapu Surat Singh to live or die, that�s why they keep force feeding him.� I watched the process, it�s really painful,� he said.� He condemned the force feeding and commended Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa�s firm stance.
After removing the pipes, Bapu Surat Singh said that his last desire was�to see Sikh political prisoners like Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar, Gurdeep Singh Khera and others released.� �I�m struggling for the common rights of all prisoners, but I wish to see the government start releasing Sikh prisoners and also taking firm steps to release prisoners of other faiths, including Hindus, Christians and Muslims,� he said.� �Any political prisoner who has completed his sentence must be released,� he added.
Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa blamed the Akali Dal for consistently going against the Khalsa Panth.He said that the youth should�come forward to improve the state of the Panth.�
1) The Supreme Court needs to set up a committee to look into the issue in a holistic manner.
2) It also needs a debate on news channel by stake holders.
3) Political parties should come out with a statement and not be mere mute spectators.
1)’Holistic’ manner? I prefer humane and just laws. In India’s case it is just a matter of holding her laws up against those you would find in Western Europe where the standards of evidence and laws on the statute book have evolved over many more decades to pass both strict jurisprudence and humanitarian standards. Indian supreme court like the rest of Indian judiciary unfortunately is as susceptible to political interference and pressure as every other court in India and until judiciary is made into separate independent secular organ it cannot be relied upon any more than the police to deliver justice.
2)What exactly do you want to debate? A man who has been convicted of a ‘crime’ and has served his sentence needs to be released immediately as he has served his sentence by definition. You cannot arbitrarily continue to detain someone just because you decide you don’t want to let him go regardless of the terms of his sentencing. And that’s not even going into the fact that he has probably been unlawfully imprisoned in the first instance either by an unjust law or by fabricated evidence / torture.
3) Political parties are the ones putting pressure on prisoners continuing to languish in jails in the first place and as with Punjab Government we have prisoners released on bail then being immediately rearrested on some other trumped up charge (usually some sedition based charge based on discredited TADA laws) just to continue harassing them.
The only possible solution considering the prejudice against Sikhs in the Indian justice system is to release all Sikh prisoners of conscience immediately and to do away with so called anti national sedition laws which are really just being used as universal nebulous catch-alls for when you want to lock someone up indefinitely – usually a Sikh sporting turban and beard. Backwards paranoid concept of sedition should be replaced only with treason laws which are specific about specifically threatening national interest such as selling state secrets or betraying state secrets to foreign power. You should be able to trust and tolerate your fellow Indian citizen right to free speech in a democracy within the obvious restrictions of not inciting hatred towards his fellow citizen.
Bapu Surat Singh reminds of me of another Bapu who went on selfless hunger strike for good of others. That man was Mahatma Gandhi. I think we shall see Surat Singh equally venerated in years to come for his brave work for human rights and those that repress him now will have to reflect on their sins just as those Indian police officers who would routinely imprison the Mahatma on behalf of their overlords.