Sikh Nation’s Blood Drive In Memory Of 1984 Massacre Of Sikhs Saves Lives

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By Bharat Patruni

When anyone signs a blood donor form, he is but signing a lease of life for someone, for the colour of the human blood is red all over the world.  Anywhere you can donate blood.

The 16th annual Sikh Nation Blood Donation campaign has helped save 104,000 Canadian lives since its inception in 1999.  Each year the campaign has steadily grown and Sikh Nation has become Canadian Blood Services’ largest Partners for Life (PFL) donor group in the B.C. and Yukon region.  In 2014, Sikh Nation donated approximately 2,300 units of blood. Some one’s son back home because someone donated blood.

Punjab Guardian has done its service by actively supporting and encouraging blood donation, commemorating the massacre of Sikhs in 1984 on the streets of Delhi and other parts of India.

Let us not think that blood donation in memory of 1984 massacre of Sikhs is a choice, no, it is every Sikh’s responsibility.  It is said that – “The Blood You Donate Gives Someone another Chance at Life. One Day That Someone May Be A Close Relative, A Friend, A Loved One—Or Even You.”

The Sikh Nation blood donation campaign was started in 1999 to commemorate the souls of innocent lives taken away in an act of genocide in 1984.  More than 10,000 Sikh people lost their lives in the massacre aftermath Indira Gandhi’s assassination.   A flag represents a country, but the real country is not in its flag but in its people.  One becomes patriotic if one’s flag is burnt, but what about the people being burnt and butchered in broad day light, do they not represent a country? Historically genocide starts by branding a certain section of people as extremists and terrorists.  You have already killed them in your mind and consciousness; it is now only a matter of dropping a bomb or butchering them including innocent small children and women.

Punjab, the Land of Gurus witnessed massacre and genocide in every century and this century is no different.  In 1984 not only the people died, but something else also died with them in that soil seeped in Sikh blood.  A peoples dream died there, a beautiful dream….

After 30 years the organizers and perpetrators of the Genocide roam free and even enjoy positions of power. None punished for killings.  Ten commissions have failed to bring Justice.  There is a growing concern among Sikhs over the failure of successive governments including the current regime to prosecute and punish those who organized and perpetrated violence against civilian and unarmed and innocent Sikh population of India in June and November 1984.

Full 31 years have elapsed since genocide of Sikhs took place in November 1984. Despite the constitution of innumerable high-power committees, police investigation teams and commissions, only a few small fries are booked; the real culprits are still eluding the call of justice. The reality is that in last 30 years, though the country has been ruled by every shade of political opinion, there has been no political will to prosecute the culprits.

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We have been taught to believe that silence would save us, but it won’t.  As someone said, when the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.  Stay Strong, Stand up. Have a Voice.  By donating blood, Canadian Sikhs voice will definitely echo in the alleys of justice.  What distinguishes genocide from murder is the intent, if that intent is to make a people extinct; it’s a crime on humanity as a whole.

As a silver lining, while describing the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 as “genocide”, Home Minister of India Rajnath Singh said several persons who had a “role” in the carnage are yet to be punished.  I have faith in our judicial system and these persons will definitely get punishment,” Calling the 1984 anti-Sikh riots “genocide” he said “It was not riot, it was genocide instead. Hundreds of innocent people were killed. The pain of the kin of victims cannot be compensated by even paying crores of rupees.”

Said Mr.Singh.  The only hope that still lingers is that the Supreme Court of India shall finally for once and all take a Suo Moto notice of the 1984 massacre of the innocent Sikhs whose lives were relentlessly snatched and bring all criminals and butchers to justice.

A Son is very happy when he sees a smile on his mother’s face, for he knows everything is ok – Sikhs’ mother, the Punjab will smile only when the perpetrators of mass crimes and genocide on its soil are brought to justice.