Sh Narender Modi Ji,
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India
ON THE EVE OF YOUR PROPOSED VISIT TO JKUT ON 24TH
We the Sikhs of Jammu and Kashmir under the banner of Sikh Progressive Front appreciate & feel obliged especially for opening of Kartarpur Corridor, Scraping black list of 312 Sikh youths languishing abroad for several years and lifting of GST on Langar, worldwide celebration of 550th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji, sporting the farmers by taking back the three farmer laws and recent decision regarding of celebration of 400th Birth Anniversary Srti Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib at Lal Qila by your Good Self. This all has become possible only after your personal intervention.
Your magnanimous self have really touched the hearts of millions of Sikhs living in India and abroad as well when you visited Gurudwara Rakab Ganj to pay obeisance on a special occasion of “Guru Tegh Bahadhur Sahib’s Shaheedi “Diwas”. We feel that all Hindus have an obligation to remember Guru Tegh Bahadur for his sacrifice to check the conversion of Hindus by Auranzeb. Aurangzeb signed his death warrant as Sikhs started a struggle to fight Mughals & thrown them out. The history is testimony to it.
Sensing a ray of hope we the Sikhs of JKUT would like to draw your kind attention towards a few most genuine and legitimate demands which have already been put forth by number of Sikh delegations to Hon’ble LG Sh Manoj Sinha but same are lying pending in Raj Bhawan for the last two years.
Your kind attention is invited to your remarks on Sikhs in your recently published book “Modi & His Govt’s Special relations with Sikhs”, Besides this, few days ago your Good self while speaking on the book “Modi & His Govt’s Special relations with Sikhs” said that our Govt has also worked to protect the rights of the Sikhs of JK UT. We very humbly submit that it contradicts with the ground realities and status of Sikhs of JK UT. Chronologically stating a few genuine and legitimate demands & some of the glaring examples of highest degree of discrimination with the Sikhs in JK UT are as :
1. In 2009 a Special Employment Package was announced for the Kashmiri Migrant by the then Prime Minister and J&K Government Revenue Department made rules for implementing the employment Package vide SRO 412 dated 30.12.2009, http://jkmigrantrelief.nic.in/orders/SRO412.PDF, the agony of the Sikh youths of Kashmir (Non Migrant) started in the year 2017 when BJP-PDP Govt. with the intention to debar the educated youths of Sikh Community from the package of Special drive for Non Migrant Kashmiri, amended the J&K Migrant (Special Drive) Recruitment Rules 2009 https://rgp.jk.gov.in/pdf/SRO/SRO’s%202017/SRO-425.pdf, and thereby added a clause stating that Non Migrant Kashmiri means “Kashmiri Pandit”. There is no doubt that Kashmiri Pandits deserved all the benefits given to them by the Central as well as by the UT administration from time to time due to their miseries and sufferings due to exodus from Valley, but it is unfortunate that Sikhs who didn’t migrate even during the peak period of militancy & in spite of large number of killings of their community members, like 36 persons who were massacred in Chithi Singpora, only to kept the Nation’s flag High, were excluded from all such benefits.
Ever since the setting up of PSC in J&K a member from the Sikh community was always taken as a member but unfortunately this dispensation has not included any Sikh member in the newly constituted Public Service Commission for the reason best known to the administration. It is worth while to bring to your kind notice that service selection board doesn’t have any representation of the Sikh Community and thus Sikhs have been deprived of its legitimate right of its representations in various recruiting agencies in addition about a dozen of Universities in the UT there is no representation at the level of management viz Vice Chancellor, Director, Dean from the Sikh Community. Number of Medical Colleges, Engineering Colleges, IIM, IIT also do not have any representation of the community at the management level. The Commissions authorities constituted at the State level also lack Sikh representation. No Sikh has been made advisor to Lt Governor of JK UT so that we could go and narrate our woes to him. We don’t have any Sikh Judge in the J&K High Court. It’s totally unfair & smells communalism in governments attitude towards the microscopic Sikh Community of Kashmir.
3. Recently JK UT official Language Bill was passed in the Parliament but unfortunately Punjabi was not included in the said bill despite the fact that not only Sikhs but large number of non Sikh population of JK also speaks Punjabi. Sir this Language is taught in schools since 1947 & in Universities up to Ph.d. Level. This State has remained under Sikh Rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh for about 46 years which promoted Punjabi culture/language. Even during Dogra Raj it occupied a centre stage in the cultural and literary arena of the State and remained mother tongue of the majority. In 2000 Made the second official language in Delhi, the National Capital of India, when President Abdul Kalaam Azad gave his assent to Delhi Official Language Bill 2000 on the perusal of L K Advani Deputy Prime Minister . Similarly Punjabi made 2nd official Language of Haryana by BJP- JJP Govt and Kanwar Pal Singh Education Minister Haryana declared that all milestones and signboards in Haryana will now be bearing the information in English, Hindi and Punjabi. This speaks of discrimination towards the Sikh Community of JK UT.
4. Recently again a notification was issued by All India Council for Technical Education (A Statutory Body of Govt Of India) Ministry of Human Resource and Development, dated 06.10.2020, https://aicte-india.org/sites/default/files/circular-km.pdf, for giving special concession to the wards of Kashmiri Migrants and Kashmiri Pandit / Kashmiri Hindu Families (Non Migrant) living in Kashmir valley for admission in Higher Educational Institutions throughout the Country. Thus once again the youths belonging to microscopic Sikh community of Kashmir (non migrant) have been excluded which again shows discrimination time and again.
5. The latest and glaring example of the discriminatory attitude of the govt is quite evident from the Circular issued by Relief & Rehabilitation Commissioner (M) J&K vide No. 03 of 2020 Dated 05.12.2020 as per which 1997 Divisional and District cadre posts in various departments under PM Package for Migrant Kashmiri and Non Migrant Kashmiri Pandits have been advertised but not for the Non Migrant Sikh youth, those who stayed back in the valley despite large scale killings of their community members. https://www.ssbjk.org/assets/pdfs/12_2_2020.pdf.
6. Another glaring example of neglect is apparent when the community was deprived of their long pending demand for naming the Kunjwanin Chowk on the Name of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, son of the soil and the great warrior, and erecting his Statue there at Kunjwani chowk despite the fact that resolution was passed by full house of Jammu Muncipal Corporation for the erection of the statue.
7. NATIONAL MINORITY COMMISSIION ACT : Despite the formation of JKUT the National Commission for Minorities has not been implemented in JKUT and peoples of Minority Community are being deprived of its benefits.
8. ANAND MARRIAGE ACT : though the Anand Marriage Act has already been passed by The Parliament of India on 7th June 2012 but surprisingly this too has not been implemented in JKUT.
9. Disparity in award of Compensation to the Anti Sikh riot Victims of 1989 in Jammu : On our representation to the then Hon’ble Home Minister Sh Raj Nath Singh on 13th January 2019, The MHA conveyed the same to the State Govt vide No. 16030/4/2019-K-V (Department of J&K Affairs) dated 6.05.2019, for taking appropriate action and action taken report may also be sent at the earliest to this Ministry.
The file moved at a snail’s pace and after the lapse of three years finally reached (General Administration Department) GAD fifteen days ago, and the same is to be sent to the Hon’ble LG and Chief Secretary for taking final decision on the matter. We the members of the micro minority feel aggrieved and neglected by the present dispensation of the govt for not giving due share to the Community which has always stood for the unity and integrity of the country. Sikh Progressive Front therefore hope that your visit of JKUT shall definitely prove your remarks mentioned in your speech during release of a book Namely “Modi & His Govt’s Special relations with Sikhs”
Yours Sincerely
Balvinder Singh
President
Sikh Progressive Front
