Sikh Radicals and Terrorists Regrouping in India

Punjab Newsline Network

Thursday, 29 June 2006

CHANDIGARH: The radical groups in punjab are trying to regroup to show their presence. This was stated here Thursday by Punjab Director General of Police S.S.Virk while presiding over the law and order meting of Punjab police officers here.

Virk described the Law & Order situation in the state fully under control though he added isolated efforts are being planned by some modules of radical elements to disturb the peace. Punjab had passed through a decade of terrorism during late eighties and early nineties when Sikh radicals had raised demand of Khalistan, an independent state for Sikhs.

Some of the former militants extradited by Punjab Police from USA and Canada have now joined political outfit Akali Dal Amritsar led by Simranjit Singh Mann. Harpal Singh Cheema, a militant, who was deported from the US few months ago, joined the Akali Dal (Mann) faction and designated its vice-president. Diljit Bittu and Daya Singh Lahoria are among other former militants who have joined active politics. Last week another militant Kulvir Singh Barapind has been extradited from USA. The Punjab police has sought extradition of about 12 militant leaders from USA including Mahesh Inder Singh and Gurprit Singh.

DGP said that Punjab Police was fully determined and geared up to dismantle their nefarious designs and plans. This will need more emphasis keeping in view the forthcoming general elections in the state.

Virk directed district police chiefs to sensitize the force in event of any stray incidents or violence by the vested interests. He claimed that the overall situation regarding the crime, is much better then the previous years but there have been some cases of robberies, snatchings etc. and the leads in such incidents have to be pursued professionally. The important crime cases must be worked out without any delay, he told officials.

Virk asked the senior police officers to personally visit the Sub Divisions and Police Stations to check the progress in crime detection and investigations of the cases and interact with lower level police officials to gather specific information. Regular pairvy of court cases and litigation works must be supervised and crime record of CIAs and police stations must be updated. He asked them that guilty should be punished in custodial death cases.

Taking the serious view of drug trafficking in the border state, DGP said that special efforts must be taken to nab such notorious drug traffickers and confiscate their properties as per new provisions. To check the human trafficking, he asked the field officers to track the illegal activities of unscrupulous travel agents and strict legal action has to be taken in such cases.

In order to bring out more improvement in the police functioning at the lower level, Virk suggested that improve carrier profile of lower officials and fill up their vacancies through promotions in time. Their genuine problems and constructive suggestions must be heard by their superiors regularly. He further added that the detectives and investigators in the important cases must be rewarded in order to boost their morale.

Air India Bombing Inquiry Finally Begins in Canada

Canada opens full inquiry into Air India bombing

By David Ljunggren
Reuters
Wednesday, June 21, 2006; 2:16 PM

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Major flaws in Canada's criminal justice system were revealed by the bombing of an Air India airliner in 1985 that killed 329 people, the judge heading an official inquiry into the attack said on Wednesday as the inquiry opened.

Air India Flight 182, originating in Canada, blew up off the Atlantic coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, in what was the deadliest ever bombing of a passenger airliner. A bomb intended to bring down a second Air India flight exploded almost simultaneously at Tokyo's Narita airport, killing two people.

The initial Canadian criminal investigation into the attacks was marked by controversy, including charges that infighting between various branches of the justice system had led to the destruction of potentially key evidence.

Two men eventually went on trial for the bombings but were found not guilty last year after the judge ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove their case.

"To conclude only that the criminal justice system has to date failed the families of Air India victims falls short of the problem. It failed all Canadians. The system failed all Canadians," said retired Supreme Court justice John Major, who is leading the inquiry.

"The personal losses and unspeakable tragedies are the most immediate and visible aspect of our loss. The systemic weaknesses that have been identified are less visible, but potentially as fatal as what happened," he wrote in a opening statement.

Major will not be able to find guilt or say who he thinks was responsible for the blast. Investigators allege the bombings were carried out by Sikh separatists furious at the Indian government for its bloody 1984 storming of the Sikh Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar.

Representatives of about 80 families of victims attended the formal opening of the inquiry, which is being held in Ottawa's old city hall. Hearings will start on September 25 and Major is due to issue his final report in September 2007.

"I think we need some answers as to what went wrong. What were the procedures in place?" said Lata Pada, who lost her husband and two daughters when the plane went down.

"It is our hope that it will be viewed ... in fact as the world's worst case of aviation terrorism prior to (the) September 11 (suicide attacks). I think that was forgotten for a very long time," she told reporters.

The inquiry was launched by the Conservative government, which took power on January 23 this year. The previous Liberal administration -- which had held power since late 1993 -- said for years it was reluctant to open a full probe because it could interfere with the criminal investigation.

Major will examine whether security lapses that allowed the 1985 bombings have been fixed, and if the bad relations between police and Canada's spy agency at the time have improved.

He will also examine "the extent to which potential threats posed by Sikh terrorism prior to 1985 have been resolved" and "whether Canada's existing legal framework provides adequate constraints on terrorist financing."

Some relatives shed tears before entering the room. One man had a photo of a young woman pinned to his lapel.

Everyone present sat in silence for about eight minutes as the names of the 329 victims scrolled up on a screen.

"Many family members lobbied for 21 years for an inquiry and we're happy to see that it's finally occurring," said Susheel Gupta, who was 12 when his mother died.

"I don't know if any families will get closure. They've lost their loved ones. I grew up without a mother and I think about her every day."

© 2006 Reuters