The execution of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana, by Simranjit Singh Mann

The execution of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana,

By

Simranjit Singh Mann

It is a painful trauma for the Sikhs to see that the execution of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana will take place in Patiala Central Jail at 9 AM on 31^st March 2012. The warrants for his execution have been issued once again by the district judge of Chandigarh, Shalini Nagpal.  

It is hard to believe that though THIS(Theocratic Hindu Indian State) is believed to be a civilized state, it will resort to executing a Sikh in spite of the fact that the UN and the European Union forbids capital punishment. We feel it is horrid that a civilized state should resort to killing a human being who has refused to defend himself in a court of law through his lawyer because he believes that the Hindu state would execute him nevertheless even though he puts up his defence in a court of law presided over by a Hindu judge.

To a great extent he is right because the other Sikh Bhai Davinderpal Singh Bhullar who awaits execution in Delhi’s infamous Tihar Jail went through the whole rigmarole of the legal and court procedure by engaging a lawyer but eventually failed to get justice because he was a Sikh. The fact of his case is that sixty five prosecution witnesses refused to depose against him in the court of law but nevertheless he was sentenced to death by the Hindu judge of the trial court in Delhi, on the basis of a confession stated to have been made by Bhullar to a Hindu police officer.

Now the law is that in accordance with the Indian Evidence Act, its section 25 a confession made to a police officer is not admissible in a court of law. Never mind the statuary law and its section 25, Bhullar was sentenced to death. Its similar to what happens to blacks in the US. By hell or by crook Sikhs and blacks have to be sent to the gallows.

Later, Bhullar appealed to the Supreme Court of THIS(Theocratic Hindu Indian State), which is said to be impartial and does not suffer from a communal bias. In the Supreme Court a three member Bench of judges was set up to hear the appeal of Bhullar. The presiding judge of the Bench Justice Shah, a Muslim, set Bhullar free exonerating him of all charges but the other two Hindu judges upheld the decision of the lower trial court and sentenced him to death, which he awaits. So much for the justice for Sikhs in THIS(Theocratic Hindu Indian State).

In similar circumstances the Sikh awaiting to be executed at 9 AM on 31^st March 2012 Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana refused to engage any legal aid against his prosecution because he was wise enough to realize that he would not be prosecuted but persecuted by the Hindu state and its prejudicial legal system weighing against the minority Sikh nationality and race. As such I think he has saved his honour and at the same time the pride of the Sikh peoples.

If the execution goes through as I think it will because the Sikhs at present have lost pride in their separate Sikh nationality and identity and voted lock stock and barrel for the right-wing Hindu nationalist parties- the BJP, Badal Dal, Congress, BSP, Manpreet’s PPP in conjunction with the Communists in the elections to the state Assembly held on 30^th January 2012, the Sikh leadership across this political spectrum is not coming forward to oppose the execution of Bhai Rajoana.

Yesterday, our party called a broad gathering of Sikh leaders from all political parties, the influential Sant Samaj, Damdami Taksal, intellectuals and others but for a handful of Sikh leaders the others refused to attend. It appears that the Sikh leaders by doing this are going to lose being the shepherds of their respective flocks because their flocks are already coming on to the streets in protest against the execution. It is a situation similar to the one that prevailed prior to the dreadful and brutal Operation Blue Star of 1984.

In THIS(Theocratic Hindu Indian State) is constitution there is a provision that the Governor of a state or the President of THIS(Theocratic Hindu Indian State) can give a reprieve and set a prisoner free. Invariably in the case of executions of Hindus this clause in the constitution is invoked and a Hindu prisoner is set free.

I do hope that the sentiments of the Sikhs are kept in view on the impending unjustified execution of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana or we will have total turmoil and dissatisfaction amongst the Sikhs who have without their consent been forced to be included in the Hindu state in 1947 though they should have got a separate independent and sovereign state of their own which would have become a viable buffer state between three inimical nuclear armed states- Islamic Pakistan, Communist China and THIS(Theocratic Hindu Indian State).

I do not think the Sikhs around the globe would accept the execution of a Sikh who did not submit before a right-wing theocratic Hindu state and preferred his honour and not his life. Another William Tell in the making. Let us bow to this great Sikh patriot and pray to God Almighty that better sense prevails amongst the ruling Hindus. Tomorrow we assemble before the Akal Takhat under the leadership of the Akal Takhat  Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh to let him decide the future course of action to save Bhai Rajoana.

                                                                                                         

Simranjit Singh Mann,

President, Shiromani Akali Dal(Amritsar)