Naya Kashmir Report
SRINAGAR: Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest seat of Sokhism, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, expressed concern of the delay in giving justice to vicrims of Chittisinghpura massacre in Kashmir and asked the Indian and State Govrenments to use all their authorities to give justice to the families of the 35 Sikhs killed in massacre.
Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj made the remarks during his visit to Chittisinghpura village in Anantnag district.
He was of the view that massacre continues to haunt the community even after oassage of more than two decades.
During his visit to Chittisinghpura village Jathedar Kuldip Singh attended a Gurmat Samagam organized by the local Sikh community. He also visited the memorial and viewed the photographs of the victims as well as the wall still bearing bullet marks from the carnage of March 20, 2000.
The Jathedar said the massacre had not only shaken the Sikhs of Kashmir but the entire Sikh diaspora worldwide. He deplored that despite the passage of a quarter of a century, the families of the victims were still waiting for justice as the truth behind the killings had never been revealed.
He stressed that it was the responsibility of the authorities to bring out the facts.
Highlighting the resilience of the Sikh community in occupied Kashmir, Giani Gargaj said that despite immense atrocities, Kashmiri Sikhs had never abandoned their homeland. He held successive regimes responsible for suppressing the rights of the Sikh minority.
The Jathedar further noted that the Chittisinghpura massacre was a lesson of unity for the Sikh Panth, asserting that when the community stands together no challenge is insurmountable.
Independent human rights groups and observers have consistently pointed out that Indian agencies were responsible for the Chittisinghpura killings, staged on the eve of the then US President Bill Clinton’s visit to India, to malign the Kashmiri freedom struggle and defame Pakistan.
