Islamabad: The Sikh community worldwide commemorated the death anniversary of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a prominent human rights activist who was tragically killed after uncovering extensive human rights abuses in Punjab, India. Khalra’s investigative work brought international attention to the extrajudicial killings of thousands of Sikhs by Indian police forces during the 1980s and 1990s.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted by Indian police on September 6, 1995, and was later tortured and killed in late October of the same year. Khalra’s groundbreaking research revealed that approximately 25,000 Sikhs had been illegally cremated, with around 6,000 of these cases in the Amritsar district alone. His efforts to document these atrocities were pivotal in supporting the asylum claims of Sikhs in the West, shedding light on the systemic violence that spurred the Sikh diaspora since 1984.
Kanwar Pal Singh, a spokesperson for Dal Khalsa, reflected on Khalra’s legacy, noting his unique role in advocating for justice for those who were forcibly disappeared, tortured, and killed by state forces. Singh highlighted that Khalra’s voice was permanently silenced because he chose to represent those who could not speak for themselves.
Despite challenges, human rights activists continue to pursue justice for the victims identified by Khalra. However, they face significant obstacles as records from cremation grounds in Punjab beyond those Khalra had already investigated have been sealed and remain inaccessible.
In recognition of Khalra’s courage, the World Sikh Organization and the Human Rights Law Network in Delhi inaugurated the ‘Khalra Centre for Human Rights Defenders’ in 2011, aiming to safeguard activists who face risks similar to those Khalra encountered. Additionally, the Punjab Documentation and Advocacy Project (PDAP), based in Chandigarh, released a report in 2017 identifying 8,257 individuals who disappeared between 1980 and 1995, further illustrating the scale of the human rights violations in Punjab.
These commemorations and ongoing research efforts continue to honor Khalra’s legacy, striving to bring accountability and justice to the countless families affected by this dark period in Punjab’s history.