“Sadda Haq” and the role of the government and media
Guest Blogged by: JSD
Today, the government of India has once again proved why it’s claim to being the world’s largest democracy is laughable. Not to mention the media in India, which claims to be fair and democratic in nature, however, this is simply not the case. India’s media is clearly state run and its news outlets make stories that create divides within communities. Why am I saying all this?
Sadda Haq is a fictional movie based on real events surrounding the militancy era in Punjab during the 1980s and 1990s. Showing accounts of “false encounters†and police brutality, the movie aims to show why average citizens were forced to take up arms against the oppressive regime. The movie was set to release worldwide today on April 5, 2013. Although the Indian Government can’t ban the movie worldwide, the Punjab government did manage to ban the movie in Punjab and other parts of India in just a few hours prior to its opening after the movie was privately screened to Punjab Police members and state government officials.
These officials who watched the private screening included the likes of DGP Sumedh Saini. Interestingly enough, the ban comes from the Punjab government run by Parkash Badal of the Akali Party, a party that is supposed to represent Sikh interests, but at the same time has promoted Saini to the ranks of DGP(Deputy General of Police) even after countless human rights claims exist against him for his participation in the post 1984 Punjab genocide of Sikh youth.
Over the past few days the Indian news outlets have been talking about Sadda Haq being a controversial film promoting Khalistan. It is no doubt that Sadda Haq discusses the militancy era, but its aim is to show the truth that has been pushed under the rug by the government and media.
28 Responses to ““Sadda Haq” and the role of the government and media”
Get real guys, the film has been banned by our own sikh led governement in Punjab ……..not elsewhere in India……….yeah that's right the boys in blue turban voted in by the majority of Punjabi jantaa have decided they know better ….. just like it was back in the 80's….remind me who the president was…..i seem to recall it was Giani Zail Singh…….the CM …it was Beant Singh not Beant Lal ….the Police chief was KPS Gill and the general was Gen H S Brar …… !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ever heard of "house negros"???
read about this them in the context of Sadda Haq here http://www.canadiansikhcoalition.com/post/2013/04…
If China invades India tomorrow and occupies the country there will be no end to the number of Indians, China could recruit to run the place. Quislings and House Negros exist in every race and religion. Had Hitler managed to invade and occupy England in 1940, there would have been thousands of English men and women who would have collaborated with the Nazis to run the country just as the French did.
Also remember that no Muslim ruler could have ruled India for 700 years if the Hindus had not been House Negros by running the administration.
@Bik @Jaswant ……. Why then does the Punjabi Jantaa vote the same bunch of 'Sikh' leaders (SAD-Badal Party) in alliance with BJP to form state government for another term, and desert the tru Sikh leaders loyal to Khalsa Panth (Simranjit Mann SAD-Amritsar) , some of our so called Sikh Pardhaans seem to change political allegiance like the weather ….. obviously they put their self interest before moral/ideological beliefs …… trying to hitch a ride on the horse that they think will cross the line first come the election!!
So do we hold our own fellow bholle-bhalle voters to be too simple minded too realise the difference between the candidates and what they stand for ……OR are we (and our Media) not doing enough to lift the fog which is blinding the aam aadhmi from realising the good from the greedy!!!!
A very well written article, this needs to be promoted!
Article starts with a huge mistake (Indian govt banned Sadda Haq) and exposes the author's bias. The bias (or the hypocrisy) of such divisive elements responsible for brainwashing of the tat Khalsa (or their progeny) Sikh youth.
Why hypocrisy, because SGPC and other radical TK Sikh organisation have been at the forefront to stifle human rights in Punjab and elsewhere inc banning films, writers, books, etc. modern day Akal Takht Qazis ban the whole communities!!!! Nirankaris, Dera Sacha Sauda are some of the names which come to the mind readily.
Where were those hypocrites, who are pontificating about the ban on a film in a Sikh state, when Jo Bole So Nihal was 'banned' and bombed by Sikh organisations. What was exactly wrong with that film?
This blog answers many such questions:
http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2005/05/after-jo-bole…
As far as Shiv Sena (many versions in Punjab) is concerned, hang them high if they commit any crime or unlawful activity.
Shiv Sena threats…Hahaha! Have they managed to kill even a stray dog (not that one should kill those living beings)?
film was banned in all parts of India, including Delhi.
Jo Bole So Nihal film was disrespectful to Gurbani, our Guru. It used Shabads in an out of context manner.
Nirankaris, Namdharis, Dera Sauda can be compared to the likes of the Minas, Masands, Raam Raiyas of the past, so the Panth is against them.
Jo Bole ..how it was disrespectful! It was about a Sikh fighting terrorism not only in India but also overseas. That is glorification of the Tat Khalsa brand Sikh. Jo Bole so Nihal ..is Gurbani? Would you please quote the ang of Granth Sahib where this shabad appears? Is the phrase 'Sat Sri Akal' from Granth Sahib. The answer is an emphatic NO! In fact how many times the word Akal finds mention in Granth Sahib
ONLY thrice!
What you have written about Nirankaris and others is despicable and mirrors the language used by Muslim rulers against Sikhs (and Hindus).
Before condemning absolutely legitimate sects and justifying their persecution you are revealing a hypocrite side of your personality. Like Sikhs every Dera has the right to follow their faith whichever way they want to (of course, vilification of other faiths cannot be allowed).
At its best, it is a subjective observation to say that most Sikhs are not over 1984. I would say that there are more pressing problems plaguing the so called "Sikh nation"/Punjab that arguably trump the 1984-related injustices today. Instead of committing to events that affected Punjab twenty years ago, NRI Sikhs should divert their resources and energy to ameliorating conditions that are deteriorating present-day Punjab. Such efforts would bring about the largest gains in overall well-being of Sikhs in Punjab. Once the urgent needs of Punjab are met, only then “justice for 1984” becomes a realistic goal. Rampant substance abuse among Punjabi youth is economically and socially enervating Punjab. Contextualizing the growing number of farmer suicides in Punjab is easy – 85% of the farmers are operating under debt in Punjab. Additionally, the environmental injustices in Punjab are making the population literally sick. Cancer rates in Punjab are beyond the international average reported by the World Health Organization. In the last 5 years alone, 33,000 people have died from cancer in Punjab. Noting the excessive use of pesticides, the Times of India recently labeled Punjab as the “poison shaft” when formerly it celebrated Punjab as the “bread basket” of India. In a 2009 water survey conducted by the Bathinda health department, 136 of the 447 water samples were found to be toxic. Furthermore, a recent study conducted by a British scientist across 50 villages concluded that 20% of wells in Mukstar, Bhatinda, and Ludhiana districts had dangerously high nitrate levels. These environmental woes are directly affecting Punjabis of all ages who face numerous consequences of bad environmental policy, ranging from the most egregious birth defects in children to impotency in the middle-aged population. With regards to education systems that are competitive in the 21st century, Punjab is continually behind. An article in the Times of India in February 2012 reported that over 7,000 computer teachers had been without pay for the past 6 months. Growing demands for energy in Punjab continue be unaddressed. For a state whose female-to-male ratio, 893:1000, is already imbalanced, rates of female infanticide are markedly embarrassing. On a daily basis, 274 female fetuses are aborted in Punjab. The dire state of Punjab is perhaps best highlighted by the recent election of Prakash Badal to the Chief Minister of Punjab position. Under Badal’s leadership from 1997 and 2002, and then again from 2007 to 2012, Punjab enormously suffered. Despite being presented with a more promising choice for a leader in Manpreet Badal, Punjabis unanimously voted for Shiromani Akali Dal. When recently forced to confront the drug problem by Rahul Gandhi, Prakash Badal demonstrated poor leadership, dismissing the role that the Punjab government should play in curtailing drug trafficking along the Punjab-Pakistan border. The outcome of the 2012 election is a direct reflection of the widespread political ignorance and apathy that exists in Punjab. Precisely for these same reasons, democratic development in Punjab is at a stalemate.History is a testament to the reality that organically-developed grassroots movements are necessary for correcting injustices for they reflect the will of the people. Support of Sikhs in Punjab is crucial to achieving justice for 1984-related events. However, as long as foundational components essential to basic well-being are unfulfilled for Sikhs in Punjab, it is impractical to expect them to focus on 1984-related issues with the same vigor as NRI Sikhs who benefit from higher standards of living and more opportunities for personal and economic fulfillment in their adopted countries. I am afraid that if Punjab’s exigent circumstances become secondary to unresolved issues from two decades ago, then two decades from today, we will be grappling with feelings of having been also wronged in 2013.
The very first paragraph of the article above shows us just how far we have fallen….or indeed, how low they have pushed us. The dictionary describes the word 'militant' as an aggressive person or group engaged in fighting. At one time, all the Sikhs in Punjab fighting for their human rights were just ordinary human beings. But the Indians needed to describe them as 'militants' because the word implies that they were not ordinary civilian human beings but rather sub-human terrorists that needed to be killed. They (the Indians) have been calling any Sikh that dares mention Sikh human rights a 'militant' for so long now that even we ourselves have begun describing our brothers and sisters as militants. That, shows us how low we have gone and just how high we still have to climb.
So, my message to the author is this: India uses the term 'militant' to describe us so that it can justify the killing of non-civilians. Its a trap they set for the gullible Indian masses. Don't fall into the trap yourself.
Guess what Blighty, your 'human rights' fighters butchered 1000s of civilians (majority of them Sikhs). They deserved to be called terrorists which they were. The term 'militant' came into prevalence after your heavily-armed "ordinary Human beings" started attacking newspapers and forced them use the word 'militant' instead of 'terrorist'. Now you want it to be watered even further down to human rights activists/fighters. No wonder, Bhindranwala (called extremist or demagogue by most of the renowned writers) was declared 'Sikh of the Century' by people like you who thrive on this imaginary "us vs them" battle.
This link describes how the 'terrorists' began to be called 'militants'
http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1990/News-Media-Stop…
Sher, you are misguided when you say that they butchered 1000s of civilians. The only real data we have on militancy is the 20,000+ civilians that the Indian state butchered during the suspension of all civil rights in Punjab.
Ensaaf.org
English is obviously not your strong point Sher. Try translating your own link above into a language you're more comfortable with and then come back and tell us where it says, as you claim, "sikhs asked to be called 'militant'". You're an idiot Sher. That is clear. But to add your idiocy you're also dillusional, seeing things in texts that aren't even there. Would you like to paste more links to more articles that don't actually support your argument ?
Sorry Blighty, I didnt know that I need to have a degree in English language to comment on this blog. If i have pretended that English is my strong point, i was being less than honest. But yes, i can claim that humanity is my strong point. Any problem with that?
Now, you have quoted me as saying "sikhs asked to be called 'militant'". Why attributing these words to me? My post was about Sikh terrorists imposing their diktat on media.
Call me idiot, angrezi ch paidal, dillusional or whatever but you cannot change the recent history which says that Sikh terrorists committed atrocities on Punjabi civilians, stifled free speech, distorted scriptures, etc.
After going through the quoted article once again, I have come to the conclusion that Blighty, you are not an idiot in denial but also an intolerant Khaliban.
Read the first line of the article which says:
"Major Indian news organizations stopped referring to Sikh extremists as ''terrorists'' this week after the militants issued death threats against journalists"
I am not sure which article you have been reading as the one I quoted clearly states:
"Journalists in Punjab's two biggest cities, Chandigarh and Amritsar, said they had been warned by Sikh militants to stop using the word ''terrorist.'' The journalists, who requested anonymity out of fear for their safety, said the warnings started about a week ago and usually came by telephone"
Looks like you, blinded by fanaticism, did not read these lines.
Btw, my sympathy with bigots like you who have been denied opportunity to moan about at least one issue (ban on 'Sadda Haq' imposed by Sikh government of Punjab) by Supreme Court. I bet, the SC verdict must have come as a setback to your devious agenda of creating schism in Punjab.
well done Mehmaan
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