Jaswant Singh Khalra

2021-06-24T20:06:07Z

2601:204:C900:E720:5983:CA91:8B5:70C7: The figures given are hogwash.

{{cleanup|reason=Grammatical mistakes|date=September 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jaswant Singh Khalra
| image = JaswantSinghKhalra.jpg
| caption = Jaswant Singh Khalra speaking at Gurudwara Sahib in Canada.
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1952|11|2}}
| birth_place = [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India
| death_date = {{Death date|df=yes|1995|09|06}}<ref name=times/>
| occupation = Human Right Activist
| spouse = Paramjit Kaur Khalra
}}
'''Jaswant Singh Khalra''' (1952–1995) was a [[Sikh]] and [[Human rights activists|human rights activist]] from [[Punjab, India]].

== Activism ==
Jaswant Singh Khalra was the director of a bank in the city of [[Amritsar]] in [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] during the militancy. Following [[Operation Blue Star]], the assassination of [[Indira Gandhi]] and the [[1984 Anti-Sikh Riots]], the police were empowered to detain suspects for any reason, ostensibly as suspected [[terrorism|terrorists]]. The police were accused of killing unarmed suspects in staged shootouts and burning thousands of dead bodies to cover up the murders.<ref>"Who Killed the Sikhs". Journeyman Pictures. 4 June 2002. [https://www.youtube.com/user/journeymanpictures#p/search/0/HZTCFxBY6Tw "a portion of this documentary can be viewed here"]</ref><ref>[http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/reports/protectingthekillers/ "Protecting the Killers: A Policy of Impunity in Punjab, India,"], Human Rights Watch & Ensaaf Joint Report, 18 October 2007. pp. 29-30.</ref>

Khalra was investigating four major cases at one time and continued to collect evidence and witnesses. These cases included the custodial killing of Behla, human-shield case concerning the death of seven civilians, cremation of 25,000 unidentified bodies in Punjab and that police had killed about 2,000 policemen not collaborating in counter-terror operations.<ref>Politics of genocide: Punjab, 1984-1998, Inderjit Singh Jaijee, p.101, Inderjit Singh Jaijee, 1999</ref> CBI concluded that police had unlawfully cremated 2,097 people in [[Tarn Taran district|Tarn Taran]] district alone.<ref name="Southeast Asia p.74">The Politics of Religion in South and Southeast Asia, p.74, Taylor & Francis, by Ishtiaq Ahmed</ref>

As per the CBI investigation records quoted by SC division bench in their judgment on the Khalra custodial death case, he was a human rights activist working on the abduction, elimination, and cremation of unclaimed human bodies during the disturbed period. The court observed that the police had been eliminating young persons under the pretext of being militants and disposing of their bodies without record.<ref name=express>{{cite web|title= khalra custodial death-sc upholds life in jail for Punjab cops|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/activist-khalra-custodial-death--sc-upholds-life-in-jail-for-punjab-cops/871023/|access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>

While searching for some colleagues who went missing, Jaswant Singh Khalra discovered files from the municipal corporation of the city of [[Amritsar]] which contained the names, ages, and addresses of those who had been killed and later burnt by the police.<ref>SBS Dateline. April 2002. [http://www.ensaaf.org/multimedia/?p=203 "a portion of this episode on Punjab can be viewed here"]</ref> Further research revealed cases in 3 other districts in Punjab, increasing the list by thousands.<ref>Kumar, Ram; Singh,Amrik; Agrwaal, Ashok & Kaur, Jaskaran (2003). Reduced To Ashes: The Insurgency and Human Rights in Punjab. Kathamandu (Nepal): South Asia Forum for Human Rights. {{ISBN|99933-53-57-4}} [http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/other/reducedtoashes.pdf "Biography of Khalra, Chapter 1, Reduced to Ashes (pdf, 5 MB)"] p.54.</ref>

The [[National Human Rights Commission of India|National Human Rights Commission]] released a list of some of the identified bodies that were cremated in the police districts of Amritsar, Majitha, and Tarn Taran between June 1984 to December 1994. The Supreme Court of India and the National Human Rights Commission of India have certified the validity of this data.

Jaswant Singh Khalra asserted there could have been over 25,000 Sikhs illegally killed and cremated by the state. There are still many Sikh families waiting to hear news of what happened to their missing loved ones, many wondering if they might still be alive. A list of names has been published by Tribune India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040730/nhrc1.htm|title=NHRCList|website=www.tribuneindia.com|access-date=2019-05-29}}</ref>

==Murder and cover up==
On 6 September 1995, while washing his car in front of his house, Khalra was allegedly abducted by personnel of [[Punjab Police (India)|Punjab Police]] and taken to [[Jhabal]] Police Station.<ref name="amnesty">{{cite web|publisher=Amnesty International|title=A mockery of justice: The case concerning the "disappearance" of human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra severely undermined|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa20/007/1998/en/}}</ref> Although witnesses gave statements implicating the police<ref name="amnesty"/> and have named former police chief [[Kanwar Pal Singh Gill]] as a conspirator,<ref name=tribune>{{cite web|title=K.P.S. Gill visited Khalra in jail, says witness|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050217/punjab1.htm|date=17 February 2005|publisher=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India}}</ref> police have denied ever arresting or detaining him and have claimed to have no knowledge of his whereabouts.

In 1996, the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] found evidence that he was held at a police station in [[Tarn Taran Sahib|Tarn Taran]] and recommended the prosecution of nine [[Punjab Police (India)|Punjab police]] officials for murder and kidnapping.<ref name="amnesty"/> Those accused of his murder were not charged for ten years,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2005/09/27/india11792.htm|title=Other Screams of Terror|publisher=Human Rights Watch|author=Meenakshi Ganguly}}</ref> though one of the suspects senior superintendent of police Ajit Singh Sandhu was murdered in 1997, but his murder was staged as a suicide.<ref name="amnesty"/> On 18 November 2005, six Punjab police officials were convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment for Khalra's abduction and murder.<ref name="ensaaf">{{cite web|url=http://www.ensaaf.org/news/pr2005-11-18.php|title=Punjab Cops Convicted of 1995 Murder of Activist Khalra|publisher=Ensaaf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123135906/http://www.ensaaf.org/news/pr2005-11-18.php|archive-date=23 November 2006|url-status=live|access-date=25 January 2007}}</ref> On 16 October 2007, a division bench of [[Punjab and Haryana High Court]], chaired by Justices Mehtab Singh Gill and A N Jindal, extended the sentence to life imprisonment for four accused: Satnam Singh, Surinder Pal Singh, Jasbir Singh (all former sub inspectors) and Prithipal Singh (former head constable).<ref>{{cite web|date= 16 October 2007 |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-10-16/chandigarh/27987237_1_life-imprisonment-murder-case-jaswant-singh-khalra |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018162040/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-10-16/chandigarh/27987237_1_life-imprisonment-murder-case-jaswant-singh-khalra |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 October 2012 |work= [[The Times of India]] |title=Khalra murder case: HC grants life imprisonment to 4 cops - Chandigarh - City - NEWS |accessdate=2009-08-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071017/main1.htm |title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News |publisher=Tribuneindia.com |date=1995-09-06 |accessdate=2009-08-10}}</ref>

On 11 April 2011, the [[Supreme Court of India]] dismissed the appeal filed against the sentence to life imprisonment for the four accused, scathingly criticizing the atrocities committed by Punjab Police during the disturbance period.<ref>PDF Copy of the Decision [http://164.100.9.38/judis/bitstream/123456789/19991/1/38806.pdf “Judgement of the Supreme Court of India in C.A Nos. 523 of 2009”]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=times>{{cite web|title=Activist Khalra custodial death: SC upholds life in jail for Punjab cops|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-upholds-life-term-for-Punjab-cops/articleshow/10613312.cms|access-date=15 November 2015}}</ref>

===Memorial===
The City Council of [[Fresno]] approved the proposal to rename Victoria Park after Jaswant Singh Khalra on 26 August 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/california-city-renames-park-after-sikh-human-rights-advocate-n799261|title=California city names park after Sikh human rights advocate|website=NBC News|language=en|access-date=2019-11-13}}</ref> After bringing the motion before the City Council, the council member Oliver Baines said, "Jaswant Singh Khalra for Punjabi/Sikh Community is like [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] for my community."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sikhnet.com/news/fresno-ca-city-council-rename-park-after-jaswant-singh-khalra|title=Fresno (CA) City Council To Rename Park After Jaswant Singh Khalra|website=SikhNet|language=en|access-date=2019-11-13}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of solved missing person cases]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.ensaaf.org/pdf/reduced/chapter1-vol1.pdf Detailed biography of Jaswant Singh Khalra] (PDF) from ''Reduced to Ashes: The Insurgency and Human Rights in Punjab, Final Report: Volume One'' by Ram Narayan Kumar et al.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalra, Jaswant Singh}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:1990s missing person cases]]
[[Category:1990s murders in India]]
[[Category:1995 crimes in India]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:1995 murders in Asia]]
[[Category:Activists from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Deaths in police custody in India]]
[[Category:Indian human rights activists]]
[[Category:Indian murder victims]]
[[Category:Indian Sikhs]]
[[Category:Insurgency in Punjab]]
[[Category:Male murder victims]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in India]]
[[Category:Murder convictions without a body]]
[[Category:People from Amritsar]]
[[Category:People murdered in India]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:Sikh martyrs]]

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Jaswant Singh Khalra