Unjust Conviction of Three Sikh Youths: Joint Convention of Leftist and Sikh Organizations on March 6

CHANDIGARH, Punjab—For the first time in Punjab, the leftist organizations have decided to raise voice in favor of Sikhs against the double standards adopted by the Indian machinery towards Sikh community. These organizations, in collaboration with Sikh outfits, are going to hold a convention in Chandigarh on March 6 to raise voice against the Nawanshehr Court’s verdict addressing life sentence to three Sikh youths just for possessing literature about Sikh warriors.

19 bodies working for the Human rights and Constitutional rights have said that the verdict addressed by the Nawashehr Court has brought the Indian judiciary under suspicion. They have termed this verdict as an open attack on the fundamental right to freely speech and express in a peaceful way.

Sharing the development with media, CPI (M.L) leader Sukhdarshan Dutt informed that a decision was taken to constitute a committee of leftist organizations in the last meeting held at Ludhiana. “Organizations like Punjab Human Rights Organization, Lok Sangram Manch, Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann), Inqlabi Centre, Khalra Mission Organization, Inqlabi Lok Morcha, Punjab Manch, Naujwan Bharat Sabha, Punjab Kisan Union, Alliance for Sikh Youth Organization, Naari Manch Punjab etc. are part of this committee,” he added.

He further said that the next program will be chalked out in this convention scheduled for March 6.  

It may be recalled here that three Sikh youths namely Arwinder Singh (Nawashahr), Surjit Singh (Gurdaspur) and Ranjit Singh (Kaithal, Haryana) were addressed life sentence by the Nawanshahr Court just for possessing printed biography of Shaheed Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar, photographs of 13 martyred Sikhs of 1978 and a mobile phone. The Court had held them guilty under sections 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India) and 121-A (conspiring to commit offenses punishable by section 121) of the Indian Penal Code.