It is really painful and sad to know that Ram Narayan Kumar passed away on June 28, 2009 at his house in Kathmandu. He should really be considered as one of the finest human rights researchers, activists and campaigners in South Asia. A crusader Sikh will remain indebted to Ram Narayan Kumar, but I don’t think so.

I personally met him in Ludhiana and Chandigarh when he was allowed to expose freely the Sikh affairs and Sikhs under the garb of acting as the human rights activists when the Sikhs were feeling threatened from the security forces and the Indian agencies.

He was not interested to get justice for the Sikhs in the court of law on the basis of repots prepared by him and his team and thus was not ready to prepare the reports accordingly of that standard as I noticed from his activities and the behaviour.

I did watch him investigating the case of death of former Jathedar of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, Gurdev Singh Kaunke and pointed him out that you are distorting or adding the facts and manipulations in a planned manner, which may not stand the test of law. On this, he felt agitated.

The material was being collected by him and his associates, only for writing a book, which they did, without intending to expose the misdeeds of violation of human rights by the government of India, in the court of law.

I may be wrong to say so. That’s what the government of India wanted from him and his associates, now, settled abroad, so far, I have information about some of them!
July 3, 2009

Less than a decade later I was to meet him in a Chandigarh hotel. An opinionated man, his books are an important documentation of some of the inner conflicts of various militant groups. Although I strongly disagreed with his conclusions and analysis, his dedication must be admired.

May the mantle of his work be carried forward by others. This would be the greatest acknowledgement and tribute.