An inter-faith 'minority conclave' to mark the 24th anniversary of army attack codenamed Operation Bluestar on Darbar sahib and other shrines, lashed out at successive governments and its sponsored lumpen forces for committing a sacrilege of religious places belonging to minorities from time to time.

The conclave was organized by Dal Khalsa to mark the anniversary of the army operation launched in June 1984 on the pretext to remove Sikh warriors from inside the Golden Temple complex that houses Harmandir Sahib - the holiest of Sikh shrines.
The conclave passed a resolution seeking legislation by parliament to protect the sanctity of religious places.

'Among the issues discussed was the use of religious places for political purposes. Representatives of Sikh, Muslim and Christian faiths demanded the right to sanctuary for political and social activists and the right to sanctity of religious places.
Representatives of Sikh, Muslim and Christian organizations demanded the right to sanctuary for political and social activists alongside guarantees to preserve the sanctity of minority shrines in India.

They condemned successive Indian government for pursuing deliberately persecutory policies against minorities. Significantly the status paper read by party president Satnam Singh on the occasion underscored the need for Indian minorities to become a part of the worldwide sanctuary movement.

"The position of minorities in India is peculiar and precarious. With persecution as state-condoned practice for minorities, they are forced to invent newer strategies to protect their existence and identity. The Indian state as well as some fascist organisations have attacked religious shrines at the slightest pretext and under a well-thought out plan," the document, which was drafted by the Dal Khalsa, states.

Justifying the Sikh nationalist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's fortification of the Golden Temple in 1984 as well as subsequent occasions like Hazaratbal mosque and the Charar-e-Sharif incident, the status paper contends that "the right to sanctuary is a right to be safe in the sanctuary of a church or temple and is recognised by English law from the fourth to the seventeenth century."

Also seeking the right to sanctity of religious shrines in keeping with the central theme of the conclave, a separate resolution adopted at the event reads: "The Indian state has attacked us all, undermining our pride and honour, killing and incarcerating thousands, but the irony of it all is that 'India is a great secular nation' and Sikhs and Muslims are 'terrorists'. One of the primary needs today is to stop sacrilege of religious places. Let all minorities come on one platform and force the state to enact a law to protect religious shrines."
Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who has been under house arrest in Srinagar to prevent him from attending the conclave, addressed the conference through his telephone.

Prof S.A.R Geelani, who has been acquitted in the Parliament attack case, contacted the Hurriyat Conference chief on his mobile phone and connected the phone to a public address system. Geelani came down heavily on the Central government for putting him under house arrest.

He said it was his desire to visit Amritsar for the first time to express solidarity with the members of the Sikh community on the anniversary of the Army action at the Golden Temple/Akal Takht. He, however, announced that his outfit would continue to fight for the rights of the Kashmiris.

Addressing the conclave, Professor Geelani said it was a matter of concern the Army attacked the holiest shrine of the Sikhs in 1984.

It took more than 20 years for the central government to tender an apology for November 1984 riots on the floor of Parliament when a Sikh, Dr Manmohan Singh, became the Prime Minister.

Veteran SGPC member Manjit Singh Calcutta described the operation as "national shame". He said the members of the Sikh community could never forget attack on Akal Takht, the temporal seat of the Sikhs and anti-Sikh riots of Delhi.

Lashing out at the Akali leadership, Calcutta said it was on record that the SGPC and the SAD had passed resolutions that Sikhs have distinct identity.

The British, too, accepted Sikhs as separate nation but the Akali leadership had deviated from its stand for vested interests, he claimed.

A status paper, released by the Dal Khalsa, said the Sikh Gurus had clearly prepared the Sikhs to fight any anti-people system "first by thought and then by the arms to defend one's rights, as and when the need arises".

The resolution passed at the conclave said: "Even those wedded to democracy and peaceful resolution to conflicts, resort to all means of resistance when the need is felt".

Secretary of the legal defence cell of the Hurriyat Conference Altaf Ahmad, Dr Babu Joseph, spokesperson for Catholic Bishop Conference of India, Bhai Mohkam Singh of the Damdami Taksal, former Jathedar Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, Kulbir Singh Bara Pind of the SAD (Panch Pardhani) and Akal Federation Bhai Narien singh attended the conclave.

Full Text of the Status Paper
Adding another chapter to the discussion about the use of religious places for political purposes, the minority conclave organized by the Dal Khalsa with participation from representatives of Sikh, Muslim, and Christian faith, here today went beyond commemorating the memory of the martyrs of the brutal Indian army attack on Darbar Sahib in June 1984 and demanded the right to sanctuary for political and social activists and the right to sanctity of religious places.

Political activists, academicians and social activists from all communities deliberated on the subject “Sacrilege of religious places of minorities in India” in the course of a well-attended conference and said that the future of minorities in the country was at stake as the Indian state continues the practice of favouring the majority community.

Referring to the martial tradition of the Sikhs, the Sikh leaders at the conclave said that in the face of continuous onslaught by the state, which would deem minorities to be “terrorists” or “anti-national”, the right to sanctuary assumes significance. This right has a unique place in the Sikh religion. The Gurus of the Sikhs have clearly prepared the Sikhs to fight any anti-people system –first by thought and then by the arms to defend one’s rights, as and when the need arises.

The status paper read at the conclave said that “The position of minorities in India is peculiar and precarious. With persecution as state condoned practice for minorities, they are forced to invent newer strategies to protect their existence and identity. The Indian state as well as some fascist organizations has attacked religious shrines at the slightest pretext and under a well-thought out plan. It is time to join the New Sanctuary movement worldwide and work towards building opinion for the Right to Sanctuary for political & social activists.”

The Right to Sanctuary resolution passed at the meet categorically said that “Even those wedded to democracy and peaceful resolution of conflicts, resort to all means of resistance when the need is felt. As for minorities, the fact remains that in situations where the opponent starts perceiving and labeling you as an enemy and treats you as such, when the state fails to engage in dialogue to resolve legitimate demands and when the state consistently pursues anti-people policies, then any people and more so minorities are left with no choice but to fight back and launch a resistance movement.”

Tracing the history of such a right, the resolution further said that the Right to sanctuary was a right to be safe in the sanctuary of a church or temple and was recognized by English law from the fourth to the seventeenth century.

Seeking the Right to Sanctity of religious places, another resolution at the meet said that “The Indian state has attacked us all, undermining our pride and honour, killing and incarcerating thousands, but the irony of it all is that “India is a great secular nation” and Sikhs and Muslims are “terrorists”. One of the primary needs today is to stop sacrilege of religious places. Let all minorities come on one platform and enforce the state to enact a law to protect religious shrines. The Parliament should enact a special law to prevent recurrence of violations of religious sanctity on the pattern of Prevention of atrocities against SC/ST.”

Condemning the house arrest of Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Gilani, the conclave deplored the mindset of the powers-that-be who are hindering inter-faith dialogue to resolve common issues of conflict in respective regions.