Twenty years after

NEWS of a declaration recently tabled in the European Parliament 8212; asking for a UN investigation into 1984 anti-Sikh riots and to regar...

NEWS of a declaration recently tabled in the European Parliament 8212; asking for a UN investigation into 1984 anti-Sikh riots and to regard them as a genocide 8212; is beginning to evoke varied response in India.

While some in the Sikh community predictably welcomed the move, government officials and foreign policy specialists see it as 8216;8216;motivated mischief to embarrass India.8217;8217;

The written declaration, tabled in the European Parliament by four of its members on April 19, called for setting up of a 8216;8216;Commission of Truth and Justice8217;8217; under the auspices of the UN. The aim of the Commission, as stated in the declaration, would be to 8216;8216;comprehensively investigate whether the slaughter to which Indian Sikhs were subjected in 1984 constitutes genocide as defined in the Genocide Convention and the relevant international law.8217;8217;

The four members of Green Party 8212; Jean Lambert, Caroline Lucas both from the UK, Matti Wuori Finland and Alima Boumediene-Thiery France 8212; urged the European Union to study reports of the events of 1984, and extend support to declare it a case of genocide. The Members of European Parliament MEPs specially asked the EU to study reports compiled by American-based Human Rights Watch and British-based Amnesty International which documented 8216;8216;widespread abuse of the human rights of Sikh activists and Sikh civilians by the Indian authorities.8217;8217;

It is believed that the MEPs were petitioned by various Sikh groups based in Europe to take up their cause.

Eminent Sikh author and intellectual Patwant Singh strongly favoured an investigation by a Commission of Truth and Justice. 8216;8216;The state presided over the killings of the Sikhs. The state encouraged it. If that is not genocide, what is?8217;8217; he said.

Singh compared the 1984 killings to the genocide committed by Hitler against the Jews. He said, even if nothing came out of the inquiry, it will at least generate the fear that in the future such things would not be tolerated. 8216;8216;If an international body takes up the issue, the government will be more alert,8217;8217; he added.

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Former foreign secretary J.N. Dixit, now a Congress politician, refused to agree that what happened in 1984 could be termed as genocide. 8216;8216;A genocide is when there is a prolonged programme to annihilate a particular community. What happened here was only for three days. I agree it was very bad but the violence was provoked by some Sikhs who killed the then Prime Minister,8217;8217; he said.

He said that India would never agree to such an inquiry. 8216;8216;They will first have to seek our permission if the Commission wants to carry out any investigations. We will never allow such a thing. It is motivated mischief by some people and should be nipped in the bud,8217;8217; Dixit said.

The declaration was moved in the European Parliament under its Rule 51 of the Rules of Procedure. The declaration noted with 8216;8216;immense concern and alarm the carnage of 1984, twenty years ago, in Panjab and India, involving the deaths of tens of thousands of Sikh civilians.8217;8217;