Plight of Sikhs: Are deprived of rights in J&K

PARDEEP SINGH BALI

What could be more hurting for a community to be treated as second class citizens in their own state, especially for a minority, which survives upon the patronage of the state government?

Unfortunately, Sikhs- chief minority community in Jammu and Kashmir are boring brunt of indifferent attitude of the successive state governments, wherein they are being snubbed in every front by the state government, spanning from education, job opportunities, promotions, representation in Legislative Assembly and Council. And even though, their recurring demand of introducing Punjabi language in Kashmir University could not reach deaf ears of those at the helm of affairs, which shows how concerned state is for minorities.

One can make it from the apathetic approach of the state government towards Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir that not even a single representative from the Sikh community was inducted into the government in the reshuffle held recently under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, wherein representatives from Gurez, Banihal, Doda, Kishtwar and Zanaskar got place. Unfortunately, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, a Congress MLA from Dooru in South Kashmir, was brought back after he was reportedly discharged of all the charges by a CBI court in connection with the 2006 sex scandal.

After Micky Singh, Majeet Singh and Harbans Singh, no efforts were made to include any Sikh representative in the ministry by any political party. Ironically and regrettably, owing to indifferent attitude of the various political parties in the state towards minorities, Sikhs are not even participating in the state politics at any level. But somewhere political parties chose their own candidate to appease minorities at the time of elections. One can say political parties chose their puppet, who instead of doing anything for the community, works for the welfare of the party and gets flourished at personal level. There are few names like Hardeep Singh, Channi Singh and Jagmohan Singh who are ambitious to enter politics, but are being only used by the political parties to get their work done.

Not only this, Sikhs are feeling cold-shoulder over the similar treatment received from all sides, for instance, recently Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar in March administered oath to newly appointed judges in the state, where out of five judges, not even a single Sikh judge was considered capable to hold the position. I have seen huge number of Sikhs in the field of law, but for what they are loitering around the courts, only for those little remunerations. I cannot deny the fact that others are also living the same condition, but here lies the difference; others have hope that they will rise up if got talent because have acquaintances with higher-ups, but Sikhs have no hope of as such, neither have any connections at higher level, they are striving and will struggle around sadar and session courts, like some hapless LLB pass-outs from majority community.

Moreover, rising competition and dearth of appropriate number of seats in the higher education at University level created confusion for the students and to add on, reservations for blue eyed candidates, besides genuine reservations of SC ST OBC and RBA make things difficult for the Sikh students to get admission at University. Under compulsions, Sikh students have to move out of the state to further their studies. Therefore, the condition of the student fraternity is going bad to worse, mere 20-30 percent of Sikh students are pursuing higher education in Jammu and Kashmir, whereas huge chunk of students are studying out of state.

Punjabi Language, which is taught in over 5-6 colleges across the Valley, with over 200-250 students is still not introduced in Kashmir University. These students are helpless to move out to further it.

Returning back to the state after completion of degree, the qualified Sikh youths are craving for pity jobs, which are also distributed among various reserved categories. The state-of-affairs of the Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir is as such that they are forced to do unskilled work or get into private jobs on far low profile than their qualification. While as, most of these young students prefer to work outside, because of lack of opportunities in the state, thus adding to the already declining rate of the Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir.

Time and again, various Sikh organizations have put forth their demands and had also submitted memorandum carrying their demands to the respective/successive governments of the state, but every time demands are kept in cold-store.

I feel that despite part of Jammu and Kashmir, Sikhs are kept unknown to their rights and if they raise any demand, it remains unheard. Recently some issues pertaining to minorities were discussed with Chief Minister, in which, amendment in National Commission of Minorities (NCM) Act 1992 was sought, to make it applicable in Jammu and Kashmir, which is otherwise applicable across the India.

Likewise, Anand Karaj Marriage Act 1909, which was recently nodded by both houses of the parliament is still not amended in Jammu and Kashmir and thus deprives Sikhs to register their marriage according to their law.

Besides these two immediate amendments, the state government needs to chew over various other issues concerning minorities in the state in order to make them realize that they are part of the Jammu and Kashmir and are not second class citizens. There are very few demands concerning Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir, I may opine few like Formation of Minority commission by amending NCM Act, 1992 to mitigate Sikh problems, which will provide avenues to deserving youth and will help them to compete in various state level exams, sufficient representation to Sikhs in legislative assembly, legislative council, public service commission, SSRB, Judiciary and other statutory bodies and moreover special scholarship to the poor students of the community.

This is the high time for the state government to moot over the demands of the Sikhs, otherwise if the tendency of moving out of Sikh youth remained same, it would be too late for J&K government to bring them back. It is seen that successive governments are taking Sikhs for granted and are not taking their demands seriously. The plight of the Sikhs is that they are reclusive in Jammu and Kashmir and unfortunately for this reason they are deprived of their rights.