Sikh federation chief: Human rights violated in India for decades

Sikh Federation Chairman Buhal Moninder Singh criticised India’s treatment of religious and ethnic communities at an international conference in Baku dedicated to the Indian government's repressive policies against ethnic minorities.

Singh stated that “serious human rights violations have been recorded in India for decades, including arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, communal hate clashes, disappearances, and violence against women and children,” Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

He emphasised that the Indian state uses such practices not only to suppress dissent but also against ethnic and religious minorities. Singh attributed these actions to the colonial legacy of the British period, the effects of which he said “still most acutely affect vulnerable groups.”

Questioning India’s image as the “world’s largest democracy,” Singh remarked that members of Christian, Muslim, Dalit, Sikh, and other communities “live in constant uncertainty and anxiety about their future.”

From a Sikh perspective, he added, “our goal is freedom of expression, dignity, and the right to determine our own destiny.”

Organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), the event is titled Racism and Violence Against Sikhs and Other Minorities in India: The Reality on the Ground.

The conference, held for the first time in Azerbaijan, features Ramesh Singh Arora, Minister for Human Rights and Minorities in Pakistan's Punjab, along with officials, prominent Sikh community representatives from Canada, the UK, and the US, think tank leaders, academics, and victims of India's policies.

Discussions focus on "the Indian government's systemic racial discrimination, violence, and repression against Sikhs and other minorities," including violations of international treaties such as the UN's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Convention Against Torture.

The conference will also examine the need to keep these issues on the agenda of international organizations, investigate extrajudicial executions, and document human rights violations through UN special rapporteurs.

Participants will discuss the role of international and local NGOs and academic circles, particularly how "their reports, legal opinions, and recommendations can influence global decision-making mechanisms."

By Aghakazim Guliyev