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British Home Secretary David Blunkett completed a visit to India, which included several stops in Punjab.  Blunkett delivered the convocation address at the Punjab Police Academy, becoming the first Home Secretary of any country ever to do so.  In his speech, Blunkett stressed Indo-UK police cooperation on training, counterterrorism, and other issues. 

Last September, as an example of this cooperation, Merseyside Police invited a contingent of Indian policemen for a conference.  This contingent included at least two perpetrators of human rights violations in Punjab, including torture, disappearance and summary executions.  Redress Trust, a NGO working for justice for torture survivors, expressed deep concern to the Chief of Merseyside Police [pdf] at the attendance of these police officers.  In its press release [pdf], Redress stated:

REDRESS has also taken detailed statements from three witnesses in the United Kingdom, who allege that they were tortured on the orders of Mohammad Izhar Alam, Additional Director General of Police (Administration).

In two of the witness statements, the survivors allege that Alam watched as they were strung from the ceiling, held up by their arms; administered electric shocks; had their legs crushed when a heavy weight was rolled back and forth across their knees; and their legs split apart. In one instance, SSP Alam is alleged to have directed the other officers as to the type of torture to inflict.  Acid was poured on the forearm of one survivor, and another was subjected to a mock execution.

Blunkett made several controversial proposals at his convocation address, including pre-emptive powers to detain foreign terrorist suspects in Britain without trial.  During his trip to India, Blunkett also signed a deal with Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani regarding the immediate return of asylum-seekers and increased exchange of counterterrorism intelligence.

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