Apr
12
Congress Waffling on Sajjan Kumar
April 12, 2004 | Comments Off on Congress Waffling on Sajjan Kumar
The Congress Party continues to hesitate over naming candidates for three constituencies: Delhi Assembly speaker Ajay Maken and a former Union minister accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots Jagdish Tytler figured among four candidates named for contesting from the city even as suspense over candidature at three other seats continued amid intense wranglings. Sajjan Kumar, […]
Apr
8
Woman Recovered from Illegal Police Custody
April 8, 2004 | Comments Off on Woman Recovered from Illegal Police Custody
The Tribune (Chandigarh) reported today that a woman was rescued from illegal police custody in Punjab: A warrant officer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today found Nirmal Kaur of the Gobindpur locality in the illegal custody of the police. According to reports, many officials of the B Division fled the police station following […]
Apr
7
Delhi Court Questions CBI over Delays in 1984 Cases
April 7, 2004 | Comments Off on Delhi Court Questions CBI over Delays in 1984 Cases
Yesterday, Delhi High Court judges D.K. Jain and A.K. Sikri asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to explain why it had delayed filing an appeal against Sajjan Kumar (a possible candidate for the Congress Party in the upcoming elections), in a case stemming from the November 1984 pogroms targeting Sikhs: Delhi High Court judges […]
Apr
7
Petition Challenges Appointment of Gujarat Police Official to CBI
April 7, 2004 | Comments Off on Petition Challenges Appointment of Gujarat Police Official to CBI
This week, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the central government and the Gujarat government in response to a petition filed by Teesta Setalvad, secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace. Setalvad’s petition challenged the appointment of the former Ahmedabad Police Commissioner, P.C. Pandey, as Additional Director of CBI: The […]
Apr
6
Still Waffling on Sajjan Kumar
April 6, 2004 | Comments Off on Still Waffling on Sajjan Kumar
While the Congress Party has pretty much settled on Jagdish Tytler as their candidate from the Sadar constituency in Delhi, they’re still waffling on Sajjan Kumar: In Outer Delhi, a Jat-dominated area, the candidature of senior leader Sajjan Kumar has run into trouble with those opposed to him bringing up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The […]
Apr
5
Use of Kashmiri Civilians as Human Shields
April 5, 2004 | Comments Off on Use of Kashmiri Civilians as Human Shields
Yesterday’s Los Angeles Times has an article on the Indian Army’s use of Kashmiri villagers as human shields. It describes the experiences of one family from Chattibandi, whose members were abducted and used as human shields by the Army: “They forced my sons to go with them and told me, ‘Baba, don’t worry. They will […]
Apr
4
Gujarat Hearings Postponed Till After Elections; Government Fails to Discharge Duties to Prosecute Perpetrators
April 4, 2004 | Comments Off on Gujarat Hearings Postponed Till After Elections; Government Fails to Discharge Duties to Prosecute Perpetrators
Manoj Mitta discusses stark evidence demonstrating that the Gujarat Government has misled the Supreme Court about the status of the accused and high court orders in cases stemming from the 2002 pogroms against Muslims. The Gujarat Government is supposed to prosecute the perpetrators of the carnage, but lawyers, activists, and the Supreme Court have demonstrated […]
Apr
3
Euro Parliamentary Motion on 1984
April 3, 2004 | Comments Off on Euro Parliamentary Motion on 1984
According to the UK-based 1984 Genocide Coalition, Green MEP Jean Lambert has initiated a motion in the European Parliament on the massacre of Sikhs during the events of 1984, particularly the Indian Army attack on the Golden Temple in June and the Sikh pogroms in November. The motion states: The European Parliament notes with immense […]
Apr
2
UN Human Rights Committee Set to Conclude Meeting
April 2, 2004 | Comments Off on UN Human Rights Committee Set to Conclude Meeting
On April 3, 2004, the Human Rights Committee will conclude its meeting, which began on March 16 in New York. The Human Rights Committee evaluates the compliance of a State Party with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). State Parties are required to regularly submit reports regarding their compliance, which are then […]
Apr
1
NHRC Orders Solicitation of Affidavits from Victim Families
April 1, 2004 | Comments Off on NHRC Orders Solicitation of Affidavits from Victim Families
After eight years of fighting over legal issues in the Punjab illegal cremations matter, on March 17, 2004, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) ordered the Punjab government to publish a notice in several Punjab newspapers, soliciting affidavits by survivors of disappearances and extrajudicial executions from all of Punjab. This notice will include the names […]