Amritsar, Punjab (January 30, 2012):
Indian media was reporting since last two months that Pro-Khalistan Sikh
leaders, allegedly hiding somewhere in Pakistan, were planning to
trigger blasts to halt election process in Punjab. This falsehood was
exposed as nothing of the sort happened in Punjab today, rather there
are reports of some local clashes between supporters of “mainstream”
political parties. These “mainstream” political parties indulged in
distribution of cash, liquor, poppy husk, opium and other intoxicants to
lure voters.
Media was reporting that there were firm
inputs available with Intelligence agencies of India that Sikh
militants hiding in Pakistan with support of Pakistan’s agency ISI were
planning to trigger blasts on public places and target “prominent”
persons, including some politicians and sect-heads.
This is not the first time that
falsehood of Indian Media’s propaganda is exposed, rather it is now
turning to be a thing of routine occurrence in Punjab.
In November 2009 on the eve of 25th
anniversary of genocidal violence against Sikhs, Sikh bodies were
organizing one day shut down on of 3rd November (2009). A prominent
Punjabi newspaper claimed to possess the copy of “top secret”
communication, alleged to have taken place between Senior officer of
Intelligence Bureau (IB) of India and Ministry of Home Affairs
(Government of India – GOI). The news report warned that despite the
repeated assurances and claims made by Sikh bodies that the shut down
would be peaceful, there was enough input available with the IB that
Sikh militants hiding in Pakistan would trigger incidents of bomb blasts
and public shooting on the 25th anniversary of November
1984 violence against Sikhs.
When the Sikh Siyasat contacted the
journalist said to have reported the concerned news report, admitted
that even he did not believe that November 3, 2009 shutdown would
witness any sort of violence. He said it was policy of his newspaper to
carry such reports and it was him employment compulsion to fabricate
such stories.
These highly sensitive news reports
accusing Sikhs for plotting to hit public with violence are published by
Indian media on a routine basis, whenever Punjab is engaged in some
process of political importance, such as mass mobilization by Sikhs (to
mark ghallughaha or holocaust day or public
movement against anti-Sikh activities of certain State patronized
cults), SGPC elections or assembly elections etc.
Independent observers told “Sikh
Siyasat” that this was part of media-war against the Sikhs and their
cause. Such news contents, when published repeatedly on selective
occasions, serve a specific purpose of terrorizing the people of Punjab.
This way the State projects Pro-Independence Sikhs as a threat to
public safety and tries to discredit them and at the same time presents a
very negative image of the cause of proposed Sikh State or Khalistan.
Another political observers was of the
view that it was not a random phenomena rather an effective tool
of psychological warfare initiated by the Indian state against the
Sikhs.
Tagged with: Embedded Journalism, Indian Media, Khalistan, Media War Against Sikhs, Punjab Assembly Election 2012, Punjab Assembly Elections 2012, Punjab Polls 2012, Sikh Struggle