Canadian MPs visit 1984 Sikh "Widow Colony"

Canadian MPs Parm Gill, Kyle Seeback and Minister Tim Uppal visited Delhi’s ‘Widow Colony’ yesterday.  The visit was not made public and was not covered by the media.  The "Widow Colony" was established by the widows of the Sikhs killed in November 1984. 

Canadian Sikhs have repeatedly called on India to prosecute those responsible for the killing of Sikhs in November 1984.  Canada too has a role in calling for accountability.  It should be noted that NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair in a statement last week  commemorating November 1984 stated, “The actions of the police and allegations regarding the role of Congress members and the use of state resources, must be examined.  The truth must be brought to light and those guilty must be brought to justice.”

A translation of a news story on the Canadian visit to the Widow Colony from a Punjab Newspaper  (Rozana Spokesman) is below:

New Delhi, November 7 (Amandeep Singh):  Canadian MP Tim Uppal and his colleagues were shocked by a  visit to the Sikh Widow Colony in the Tilak Vihar area of Tilak Nagar in West Delhi.  The Colony came up after the November 1984 genocide.

 Last night at 11.30 pm, during a visit to an elderly victim of the genocide, they saw the unfortunate living conditions of the survivors.  MP Tim Uppal and his colleagues, Parm Gill and Kyle Seeback, along with senior Supreme Court Advocate H.S.Phoolka travelled especially to Tilak Vihar’s Gurdwara Shahid Ganj (martyrdom monument) where the Gurdwara management committee, along with local youth, has established a museum.  The Canadian MPs spent time looking at the pictures of those who were killed and learned more about them.  During the visit, Gurdwara Shahid Ganj’s youth General Secretary Partap Singh Khalsa explained the purpose of establishing the museum. 

Sources have said that when Minister Uppal asked about the money that is collected across the world for the victims of the 1984 genocide, Partap Singh clarified that many leaders who collect money may have improved their own lives but even after 28 years, the victims of the 84 genocide are in a ‘living hell’.  He said that not one cent of money raised abroad has reached them. 

Before visiting the museum, the Canadian MPs stopped by at the Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council office.  Here they viewed a photo exhibition of the genocide and spoke with Nishkam’s management, Dr. J.S. Nanra, Harbhajan Singh and others. 

It should be noted that this visit by the Canadian MPs was done in complete secrecy and no media were informed about it.