October 28, 2014
Source: Khalsa Press
Ghost of 1984 Comes Back To Haunt Indian Movie Star
LOS
ANGELES, CA - Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan has been summoned by Los
Angeles Federal Court for instigating the 1984 call for violence against the
Sikh community. Bachchan is accused of raising “blood for blood” slogan on
31st October 1984 after Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot dead by
her two bodyguards who happened to be Sikhs.
The plaintiff “Sikhs For Justice” (SFJ) a US human rights group has invoked
the jurisdiction of Los Angeles Federal Court as Bachchan has co-starred
with Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “The Great Gatsby”. The movie was
produced by a known Hollywood based entertainment company Warner Bros.
As per the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Bachchan has 21 days after the
service of summons to respond to the charges of human rights violations. “If
you failed to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for
relief demanded in the complaint”, warns the October 27 summons issued by
the US Federal Court for the Central District of California.
The case has been filed under Alien Torts Statute (ATS) and Torture Victims
Protection Act (TVPA) which gives Federal Courts jurisdiction over the human
rights violations committed outside the United States.
Terming Bachchan’s slogan “blood for blood” as “Ebola” virus, 35 page
complaint states that “on October 31, 1984 after Indira Gandhi the then
Prime Minister of India and head of ruling Congress party was declared dead
at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Defendant Amitabh
Bachchan, raised the slogans “Sikho ne Indira Ji ko mar dala” (“Sikhs have
killed Indira”) ; “Maro Saalon ko, desh ke ghaddaron ko” (“Kill these
bastards , they are traitors”) ; ‘khoon ke cheentay Sikhon ke ghar ghar tak
puhnchanay chahiyay’” (“the blood stains should reach the households of
Sikhs”) and “khoon ka badla khoon” (“blood for blood”).
Hearing defendant Bachchan's call for violence against Sikhs, otherwise
shocked and numb crowd immediately reacted violently towards Sikhs present
in the crowd and started beating them”.
“For 30 years, Bachchan is thriving on the impunity due to his star status.
Indian courts have failed to take cognizance of his crimes against
humanity”, stated attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ.
“It is our resolve to hold every1984 perpetrator of violence against Sikhs
accountable in international courts irrespective of their celebrity or
political status, added attorney Pannun.
On the 30th year of November 1984 genocidal violence against Sikhs, North
American Sikhs are holding a rally in front of United Nations Headquarters
in New York on November 07. “Rights group will approach Hollywood stars who
have taken stand on human rights to support the 1984 victims by condemning
Bachchan’s crimes and Sikh community’s quest for justice”, Pannun further
added.
Demanding “Jury Trial”, the class action lawsuit against Bachchan seeks
compensatory and punitive damages for the victims and declaratory judgment
“holding that November 1984 violence against Sikhs was "Genocide" as defined
under international laws and laws of the United States”.
The lawsuit against Bachchan has been filed by Sikh rights group along with
California based Mohender Singh and Delhi based Babu Singh Dukhiya both of
whom lost several members of their family in the 1984 genocidal violence
initiated by the slogans raised by Bachchan.