TOP POLICE OFFICIAL ARRESTED IN PUNJAB
Extensions of Remarks

HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS
OF NEW YORK
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2007

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, recently, the former Director General of Police of Punjab, S.S. Virk, was arrested on September 9 on corruption charges. Ironically, he was arrested by the government of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who in his previous tenure redefined corruption as ``fee for service''--no fee, no service.
Apparently, Mr. Virk managed to collect the equivalent of a billion dollars in assets on a meager police official's salary. I salute the arrest of Mr. Virk and hope he does serious jail time. But Mr. Virk should be arrested for more than corruption.

Mr. Virk was Director General when tens of thousands of Sikhs were murdered by the Indian regime in Punjab, Khalistan. Nobody has been brought to justice for these murders nor for the murders of other minorities, such as Christians, Muslims, and others.

I call on the Indian government to bring to justice the likes of Mr. Virk, K.P.S. Gill, and the others who were responsible for the atrocities against the Sikhs and other minorities. Until they do so, we should stop our aid to India and our trade with that country. And we should put the U.S. Congress on record in support of freedom for Khalistan, Kashmir, Nagalim, and the other nations seeking to be free in south Asia by means of a free and fair plebiscite on their status.

The Indian newspapers gave some good coverage to Mr. Virk's arrest and the Council of Khalistan published an excellent press release about the situation.

Former DGP Virk Arrested for Corruption
Applaud Vigilance Bureau for Investigating Corrupt Officials

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 12, 2007 – Former Punjab Director General of Police S.S. Virk was arrested Sunday by the Vigilance Bureau (a state agency of Punjab) for corruption. He had amassed wealth in excess of 100 crore (100 million) rupees. This was far in excess of what he received from his position as DGP. He was also charged with misuse of his official position, making private business deals as a public servant. Virk had arrangements with “Cats,” former “militants” who turned to working for the Indian regime, to kill Sikhs throughout Punjab. While Virk was amassing this wealth, half of the population of India continues to subsist on less than two dollars per day.

Hours after his arrest, he was hospitalized with high blood pressure and gallstones. A case was registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Virk had been removed as DGP shortly before the Punjab elections earlier this year. He had been suspended by the Badal government shortly after it came to power in February. Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has openly supported Virk. “We are amazed that someone of the stature of Captain Amarinder Singh supports the corruption and the killing of Sikhs under S. S. Virk’s regime,” said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. Virk was quoted as saying that “everyone in the world” keeps agents like the “Cats.” “Even if that were true, that does not relieve him of his responsibility,” Dr. Aulakh said. “No law enforcement agency should be allowed to murder ordinary citizens. If they break the law, they should be tried in the court and punishment should be determined by the courts, not by police officials.”

Virk claimed that his arrest was a “political victimization and vendetta.” The Badal family, during their prior term in office, ran the most corrupt government in Punjab’s history. They practiced corruption on a grand scale. Unless they were paid a bribe (which they renamed “fee for service”), no service was provided. Former DGP K.P.S. Gill presided over the murders of more than 50,000 extrajudicial killings, which were exposed by the Punjab Human Rights Organization (PHRO) in a study begun by Sardar Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was picked up by the police in September 1995 and murdered in police custody in October of that year.

“We salute the arrest of S.S. Virk,” said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. “We are glad that he is under arrest. There shouldn’t be any corruption in high places,” Dr. Aulakh said. “When will Badal, Gill, and the others responsible for high-level corruption and atrocities against the Sikh nation be arrested?” he asked.

“In a free Khalistan, no one would accept those who carry out genocide against the Sikh religion and the Sikh Nation or against any other people. They would all be arrested, not just selectively arrested to cover the corruption of the leaders ordering the arrest” said Dr. Aulakh.

Dr. Aulakh also cited the cae of Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi, a “Cat,” who was reported as killed. Someone was killed in his place, his identity was changed, and he was used by the police to kill Sikhs. “Who was killed in Sukhi’s place?” asked Dr. Aulakh. Several years ago, a Sikh man who had been reported as killed by the police went to court to force the government to declare him alive.

A report issued by the Movement Against State Repression (MASR) shows that India admitted that it held 52,268 political prisoners under the repressive “Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act” (TADA), which expired in 1995. Many have been in illegal custody since 1984. According to Amnesty International, there are tens of thousands of other minorities being held as political prisoners in India. The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, more than 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, over 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir, tens of thousands of Christians and Muslims throughout the country, and tens of thousands of Tamils, Assamese, Manipuris, Dalits, Bodos, and others. The Indian Supreme Court called the Indian government's murders of Sikhs "worse than a genocide.”

“The time is now to launch a Shantmai Morcha to free Khalistan,” Dr. Aulakh said. “That is the only way to prevent this kind of corruption and allow the Sikh Nation to live in freedom, peace, dignity, and prosperity. The time has come for some pro-Sikh organizations such as Dal Khalsa and others to step forward in Punjab and accelerate our struggle for the liberation of Khalistan,” he said. “Religions cannot flourish without political power. We must free Khalistan now.”

##30##

This material is circulated by the Council of Khalistan, which is registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent of the Council of Khalistan, Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab. The material is filed with the DOJ where the required registration is available for inspection. Registration does not indicate approval of the contents by the U.S. Government.

[From the Times of India, Sept. 9, 2007]

FORMER PUNJAB DGP S S VIRK ARRESTED

NEW DELHI--Former Punjab DGP S S Virk was arrested here on Sunday by Punjab Vigilance Bureau in connection with a case registered against him for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Virk, who was removed as DGP shortly before the assembly elections in Punjab this year, was arrested from Maharashtra Sadan by a team of vigilance officials, senior Bureau officials said. The senior IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, who was repatriated from Punjab by the Centre after the Punjab elections, was also charged with having misused his authority by indulging in private business as a public servant in violation of service rules, the sources said.

The case was registered against Virk on Saturday under the Prevention of Corruption Act after investigations for the last few months, the sources said, adding the former DGP did not offer any resistance at the time of his arrest.

[From Rediff India Abroad, Sept. 9, 2007]

FORMER PUNJAB DGP S S VIRK ARRESTED

Former Punjab Director General of Police S S Virk, who was removed shortly before the assembly poll in the state, was arrested on Sunday on charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income and misuse of official position.

Virk, a senior IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, who was arrested in Delhi by a team of Punjab Vigilance Bureau officials, described the charges against him as `false and fabricated.'

A case was registered against Virk under the Prevention of Corruption Act on Saturday, Vigilance Bureau Sources said, adding that he did not offer any resistance at the time of his arrest.

Soon after his arrest from Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi on Sunday morning, the former Punjab Police chief was taken by road to Mohali near Chandigarh where he was quizzed by vigilance sleuths.

He was also medically examined, the sources said, adding that searches were also conducted at a number of places in Punjab in connection with properties owned by the former DGP.

The team that arrested Virk included four officers of the rank of Superintendent of Police.

Besides allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, the ex-DGP was charged with misusing his authority by indulging in private business as a public servant in violation of service rules.

A visibly tired Virk, who was repatriated by the Centre from Punjab after the assembly election, told media persons at a police station in Mohali that all the cases registered against him were false and fabricated. ``It is political victimisation and vendetta,'' said the IPS officer.

Virk, the first DGP from the state to be arrested, was suspended by the SAD-BJP government, led by Parkash Singh Badal, soon after it came to power in February this year.

He was removed as DGP shortly before the assembly poll by the Election Commission after the opposition SAD leveled allegations of corruption against him.

It also charged Virk with helping the then ruling Congress at former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's behest After his removal as DGP, Virk was initially posted as DGP-cum-Chairman Punjab Police Housing Corporation on January 22 and suspended in April.

R S Gill, a 1973 batch IPS officer, was appointed DGP Punjab on January 22 after Virk was removed by the Election Commission.

##30##

This material is circulated by the Council of Khalistan, which is registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent of the Council of Khalistan, Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab. The material is filed with the DOJ where the required registration is available for inspection. Registration does not indicate approval of the contents by the U.S. Government.