Recognise riots as genocide: Opposition tells Canada govt

TORONTO: THE NDP’S STATEMENT WAS WELCOMED BY HARDLINE GROUPS, INCLUDING THE SHIROMANI AKALI DAL (AMRITSAR) CANADA (SADA CANADA)

Canada’s opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), now led by Jagmeet Singh, has askedthegovernmentto“recognise” the 1984 riots in India following the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi as “genocide”.

Making a statement in the House of Commons to mark the 33rdanniversaryoftheoutbreak of violence in Delhi and other parts of India, NDP’sparliamentary leader Guy Caron, said: “BoththeDelhiAssemblyandthe Ontario Legislature have recognisedtheseatrocitiesasgenocide. I stand in this place in hopes that somedaysoon,theHouseofCommons and this government will do the same.”

Since he became head of the NDP,oneofCanada’sthreemain political parties, the 38-year-old Singhhascourtedcontroversyin India and Canada by refusing to speakoutagainsttheveneration of Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the 1985 terrorist bombingofAirIndiaflight182as amartyrbysomeCanadiangurdwaras. Caron, an MP from Quebec, was among the major rivals to Singh for the leadership of the NDP and was appointed to head theparty’sparliamentarycaucus bySinghafterhisvictoryamonth ago.Singhtweetedhissupportfor Caron’s statement: “Today our Parl leader @GuyCaronNPDjoinedtheDelhiAssembly and ON Leg in recognizing the #SikhGenocide & called on the Govt to do the same.”

Caronstartedoutbyquotinga comment attributed to India’s homeministerRajnathSingh:“It was not riot, it was genocide.” RajnathSinghhadusedtheHindi term “nar sanhar”, which does notnecessarilytranslatedirectly to genocide.

Caron added, “Today and for thenextthreedays,SikhCanadiansandhumanrightsadvocates willmarkthe33rdanniversaryof the1984SikhGenocide.Sikhmen wereburnedalive.Womenwere subject to unthinkable sexual violenceandchildrenweremurdered in gruesome fashion. I am reminded that thousands of Canadians live with this pain as survivors and bearers of intergenerational trauma.”

TheNDP’sstatementwaswelcomed by hardline groups, including the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Canada (SADA Canada).

ItsCanadaEastunitpresident Sukhminder Singh Hansra said they “echo” what Caron said in theHouseanddemandedtheLiberalgovernmentofPrimeMinister Justin Trudeau “recognise the massacre of Sikhs on Nov 1, 1984 as a genocide”.

The group also held a candlelight vigil in Brampton,asuburb of Toronto, to mark the anniversary.