SCYS UK Honour Senior Human Rights Advocate - Sardar Harvinder Singh Phoolka

Sikh Community Youth Service UK honoured Sardar Harvinder Singh Phoolka (Senior Human Rights Advocate), on Saturday 27th June 2009, for his relentless support for the 1984 Sikh massacre victims. Dal Singh Dhesy, Director of the Sikh Community Youth Service UK who organised the event said, We are proud to honour Sardar Harvinder Singh Phoolka, for his selfless work in seeking justice for the 1984 Sikh massacre victims. The Sikh community needs to ensure that we work together with other persecuted communities, including the Tamils, Tibets and Burmese, to ensure that collectively we can campaign to seek justice for our communities.

Sardar Harvinder Singh Phoolka formally released the new book, Gurmat Gaddi Raj, written by Bhai Madan Singh, Akhand Kirtani Jatha at the event.

Background

Harvinder Singh Phoolka is well known for spearheading the crusade to seek justice for the 1984 Sikh massacre victims in Delhi that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi and resulted in the killing of 2,733 Sikhs within 2 days. He was just 28 years old then and new to practicing law in the city of Delhi. He has put the cause of justice for 1984 Sikh massacre victims before his career.

Harvinder Singh Phoolka planned to move his residence to Chandigarh after the riots, but he learned that lawyers were needed to draft affidavits on behalf of the victims, and went to the Farsh Vihar relief camp to help. The sight of orphans, bereaved mothers and wives in the relief camp prompted the Phoolkas to change their plans. Instead of relocating to Chandigarh , they chose to stay and help the victims of the massacre. Since then, Harvinder Singh Phoolka has fought cases relentlessly for the victims despite a government cover-up.

Harvinder Singh Phoolka conceived and pursued the formation of the Citizen's Justice Committee (CJC). The CJC served as an umbrella organisation for several human rights activists and legal luminaries. Formed in May 1985, the CJC has been pivotal in representing the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre victims before the various judicial commissions that have been formed to deal with the inquiry into the massacres. Membership included Justice Ranjit Singh Narula, Soli Sorabjee, General Jagjit Singh Aurora, Justice V. M. Tarkunde and Khushwant Singh. As a counselor for the CJC, Phoolka represented the victims before the first formal sitting of the Mishra Commission on 29th July 1985. The proceedings of the sitting were not made public and were closed to the press. In March 1986, the CJC withdrew its cooperation from the Mishra Commission because it disagreed with the commissions decision to hold secret proceedings, and started filing individual court cases.

To make the many documents and findings of Citizens Justice Committee on 1984 Sikh massacre available to the general public, Phoolka mooted the idea of the wwwcarnage84.com website, which was launched on 10th July 2001 and claimed 1,50,000 visits from people of 30 different countries within 10 days of it going online.

Participants and Strategy

Many representatives of various organisations participated in the event and shared their views from the stage. To name a few: Bhai Inder Singh Sohal represented Dashmesh Sikh Temple, Birmingham; Bhai Mota Singh Nihang from Nihang Sabha UK; Dr. Ranjit Singh Randhawa SAD (Badal); Sardar Gurdev Singh Matharu (Poet); Bhai Ragbir Singh Mangat a Senior Akali Dal; Sukwinder Singh SFUK; Bhai Madan Singh Akhand Kirtani Jatha; Sardar Pritam Singh Barowal SAD (Badal); Bhai Kirpal Singh AISSF (Punjab); Dr. Jagjit Singh Taunque MBE Deputy Lord Leuitenant for the West Midlands, Satinder Kaur Taunque, Sikh Education Forum, Sardar Gurbachan Singh (Dam Dami Taksal), Sardar Nirmal Singh Sandhu Lok Bhalai Party, Gurdev Singh Manku Honorary Alderman Birmingham City Council, Sardar Jaswant Singh Matharu, Gajan Singh, Raaj Radio, Malkit Singh Teng, Awaze Qaum, Ranvir Singh Virdi, Ramgarhia Sikh Temple, Harbhajan Singh Dahia Joginder Singh Chaggar, Sikh Parents Association, Jasbir Singh Bhamra, East London Campaign Group and many others from across the UK.

Sardar Harvinder Singh Phoolka in his speech laid down the future key strategy to move forward:

1. There is a need for public opinion mobilisation within India on the 1984 issue.
2. All our concentration must be at ground zero, that is Delhi.
3. In November 2009, efforts must be made to recite Akhand Paths at every place, followed by kirtan.
4. Interested bodies in UK and elsewhere must write to the Sikh body responsible for Gurdwaras in Delhi for initiation of Akhand Paths in November.
5. We must have peaceful ways to demonstrate, protest through social work.
6. International community pressure is needed.
7. There is a need to secure our future and the future of our children peacefully by upholding the law of the Country.
8. There is a strong need to unite and communicate effectively using modern technology.