World conference of Sikhs called to resolve crisis

Press, 14 August 1984, Page 10

World conference of Sikhs called to resolve crisis

NZPA-Reuter New Delhi A world conference of Sikhs has been called to try to resolve a crisis gripping the community over control of the faith and repairs to its holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The five high priests of the religion, known as the Panj Piaras (five beloved), said in a statement yesterday that they had sent invitations to Sikh organisations around the world to attend the conference in Amritsar on September 2. Some 10 per cent of the religion’s 14 million followers live outside India.

The priests said a meeting held on Saturday by Sikh groups backed by Mrs Indira Gandhi’s Government was “against Sikh traditions and amounted to an insult to Sikh authority.” About 75,000 Sikhs risked excommunication to attend the meeting, at which the high priests and other community leaders were critic-

ised for their role in extremist action in the Punjab. It was the largest meeting since the Army moved into the state on June 2 and was held under tight security to prevent violence. The Army’s battle with Sikh militants continues and two more extremists died in a gunbattle on Amritsar’s outskirts, taking the number of extremists killed at the week-end to six. The Press Trust of India said a paramilitary soldier was shot dead on the Pakistan border near Amritsar on Saturday. Saturday’s meeting agreed on repairs being made to the Golden Temple, badly damaged when the Army stormed it on June 6 to flush out extremists. About 1000 Sikhs and 92 soldiers died.

The repairs were started last month by the warrior Nihang order in defiance of the high priests’ decree that

repairs could begin only when the Army had pulled out of the temple. Nihang’s chief, Santa Singh, was excommunicated on July 22 for ignoring the priests’ warnings. Authoritative sources said Mrs Gandhi planned to avert a constitutional crisis by introducing legislation extending direct central rule in the Punjab. New Delhi took over the state’s administration last October 6 after a flare-up in extremist activity. India’s constitution does not allow central rule to extend beyond a year. With national elections due within the next five months, Mrs Gandhi has geared up her Congress (I) Party for elections by appointing three new secretar-ies-general. Her son, Rajiv, a former airline pilot, is one of four secretaries-general of the party, which holds a commanding 354 seats out of 544

in Parliament’s lower house.

Last week, Mrs Gandhi named the Commerce Minister, Mr. V. P. Singh, to head the party unit in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, a few days after replacing the state’s chief minister.

The appointments appeared to reflect growing concern over prospects in the national poll. Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state and sends 85 representatives to Parliament. Over the the last month, Mrs Gandhi also replaced the Home (Interior) Minister, Mr P. C. Sethi, with the external Affairs Minister, Mr P. V. Narasimha Rao, and took personal charge of Foreign Affairs. The Home Ministry has been criticised for its handling of the Punjab crisis and an anti-immigrant campaign in the north-eastern state of Assam bordering Bangladesh.