The LAPATA exhibition showcasing the extra-judicial killings and disappearances of younr Sikhs men in India’s northwestern province of Punjab, a part of historical wrongs including Canada’s residential school system, the Holocaust, was recently showcased at The Space, a private Vancouver art gallery. LINK photographer Sukhwant Singh Dhillon attended the event. The provocative exhibition is the result of the most recent commission from Khalsa Aid International with multimedia journalist Abhishek Madhukar who is a contributor to New York Times and Reuters. Thousands of extrajudicial killings of Sikh women, children and men were identified by human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in 1995, and human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Ensaaf have collected extensive evidence of these abuses, yet the final number of missing individuals remains unknown. According to Mr. Madhukar, there is a critical lack of awareness about these disappearances. “Lapata. And the Left Behind. aims to bring attention to this largely untold story of human rights injustices and the lingering impact on the families of loved ones who are still waiting for answers,” said Madhukar. “This story is yet another reminder – whether it’s Yezidis, Rohingya, Tibetans, Tamils, Kashmiris or Sikhs who suffered for decades – those who are left behind pay the heaviest price. This exhibit tells their stories of grace, resilience, grief and despair.” Khalsa Aid International is an international NGO providing humanitarian aid in disaster areas and civil conflict zones around the world. For its Canadian Director, Jatinder Singh, documenting the unresolved trauma felt by the families of Punjab’s disappeared and highlighting this largely unknown and unrecognized humanitarian tragedy became a personal mission.
