US embassy cable - 87NEWDELHI19406

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 19406 
 
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 
 
C O R R E C T E D   C O P Y  (TEXT--PARAS 4 AND 5) 
 
USCINCPAC AND USCINCCENT FOR POLADS 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, IN 
SUBJECT:  INCREASE IN SIKH TERRORISM LIKELY: NO 
MODERATION IN SIGHT 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 17853 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  ELEVEN PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN PUNJAB 
STATE ON AUGUST 6 IN CONTINUING SECTARIAN STRIFE. 
DELHI POLICE ARE GEARING UP TO MEET THE EXPECTED 
INCREASE IN TERRORIST ACTIVITY BEFORE THE INDEPENDENCE 
DAY CELEBRATIONS ON AUGUST 15.  ACTING JATHEDAR 
DARSHAN SINGH RAGI'S CONVENTION, HELD AUGUST 4, 
PROVIDED A FORUM FOR EXTREME AND MODERATE POINTS OF 
VIEW WITH NO OBVIOUS MEETING OF MINDS.  END SUMMARY 
 
2.  ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS ELEVEN PEOPLE--NINE OF 
WHOM WERE HINDUS--WERE KILLED IN TERRORIST RELATED 
VIOLENCE IN PUNJAB ON AUGUST 6.  TWO ALLEGED 
TERRORISTS WERE KILLED BY SECURITY FORCES WHO 
RECOVERED A US MADE AUTOMATIC WEAPON FROM ONE OF THE 
BODIES.  ALMOST ALL THE VIOLENT ACTIVITY TOOK PLACE IN 
AMRITSAR DISTRICT.  A COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA 
ACTIVIST, AND GENERAL SECRETARY OF PARA MEDICAL 
EMPLOYEES, WAS SHOT BY THREE TERRORISTS.  THE KILLERS, 
WHO LEFT A NOTE CLAIMING TO BE FROM THE RANJIT SINGH 
RANA GROUP, ESCAPED ON THE VICTIM'S SCOOTER. 
 
3.  ACCORDING TO NEWSPAPER REPORTS, THE HOME MINISTRY 
"HAS DEFINITE INFORMATION THAT THE EXTREMISTS ARE 
PLOTTING DO SOMETHING VERY IMPRESSIVE" IN THE WEEK 
LEADING UP TO INDEPENDENCE DAY.  OTHER SOURCES REPORT 
THAT THE TERRORISTS WILL PROBABLY STRIKE ON AUGUST 15 
FOR MAXIMUM ALL-INDIA ATTENTION.  DELHI POLICE, 
REELING FROM THEIR FAILURE TO STOP RECENT TERRORIST 
ATTACKS IN THE POSH SOUTH DELHI HOUSING COLONIES, ARE 
STEPPING UP THEIR ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL POSSIBLE 
TERRORIST ENTRY TO THE CITY.  ALL ENTRY POINTS TO THE 
CITY ARE NOW GUARDED THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND THE POLICE 
HAVE REPORTEDLY IMPROVED THEIR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS. 
THERE APPEARS TO BE NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT 
TERRORISTS WOULD NECESSARILY STRIKE IN DELHI, ALTHOUGH 
THAT WOULD GIVE THEM THE PUBLICITY THEY DESIRE.  BOTH 
HARYANA AND PUNJAB GOVERNMENTS HAVE INTENSIFIED THEIR 
SECURITY MECHANISMS. 
 
4.  ACTING JATHEDAR DARSHAN SINGH RAGI CONTINUED HIS 
LONE CAMPAIGN FOR A BALANCING ACT BETWEEN THE 
MILITANTS AND MODERATES WITH A SIKH CONVENTION ON 
AUGUST 4. (SEE REFTEL)  THE CONVENTION WAS A NOISY 
AFFAIR WITH LITTLE CONGRUENCE OF VIEWS BETWEEN THE 
MODERATES AND MILITANTS AND AN ABUNDANCE OF RADICALISM 
ON THE PART OF THE MILITANTS.  ALTHOUGH MANY 
PARTICIPANTS OF THE CONVENTION CLEARLY DEMANDED NO 
LESS THAN KHALISTAN, THE CONVENTION RESOLUTION CALLED 
FOR THE SIKHS TO BE GIVEN AN "AREA AND POLITICAL SETUP 
IN NORTH INDIA WHERE SIKHS CAN EXPERIENCE THE GLOW OF 
FREEDOM."  ACCORDING TO RAGI, THE DEMAND WAS A SPINOFF 
FROM AN ASSURANCE GIVEN TO THE SIKHS BY JAWAHARLAL 
NEHRU IN 1946.  EXPANDING ON THE THEME, THE HIGH 
PRIEST EXPLAINED THAT THE PROPOSED "SET-UP" WOULD 
RESULT IN GREATER AUTONOMY FOR THE STATE.  A SIKH 
CLAIMING TO REPRESENT SIKHS LIVING OUTSIDE PUNJAB SAID 
THAT SIKH DEMANDS REPRESENTED DEMANDS OF ALL INDIAN 
STATES AND URGED THE HIGH PRIESTS TO START A 
NATIONWIDE MOVEMENT IN SUPPORT OF INCREASED AUTONOMY. 
 
5.  MODERATE SPEAKERS CALLED FOR A NON-VIOLENT 
STRUGGLE TO ACHIEVE THE AIMS OF THE SIKHS AND MOST 
SPEAKERS DEMANDED IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 
ANANDAPUR SAHIB RESOLUTION WHICH CALLED FOR GREATER 
AUTONOMY IN THE STATES.  THE MILITANTS, AS WAS 
EXPECTED, DEMANDED THE FORMATION OF KHALISTAN AND 
DECLARED THAT THE GUN WAS THE ONLY ANSWER FOR THE 
SIKHS.  THE MILITANT GROUPS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE 
BABBAR KHALSA, ALL QUESTIONED THE LEADERSHIP OF THE 
HIGH PRIESTS BUT MADE NO MOVES TO REPLACE THEM.  IN 
RAGI'S CONCLUDING STATEMENT HE AGREED WITH THE 
MILITANTS THAT THEY COULD NOT ACHIEVE THEIR AIMS 
WITHOUT WEAPONS.   BUT, THE HIGH PRIEST NOTED, WEAPONS 
MUST CHANGE WITH THE TIMES AND THE TIMES NO LONGER 
CALLED FOR VIOLENT STRUGGLE.  THE TIME HAD COME, RAGI 
PLEADED, "FOR UNITY BETWEEN THOSE WHO FAVORED THE GUN 
AND THOSE WHO FAVORED NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT." 
 
6.  THE CONVENTION WAS ATTENDED BY SOME FIVE HUNDRED 
PARTICIPANTS ALL OF WHOM PASSED THROUGH STRICT POLICE 
SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE ENTERING THE GOLDEN 
TEMPLE.  MODERATE POLITICIANS, INCLUDING 
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AKALI DAL (L), WERE NOT INVITED 
TO ATTEND THE CONVENTION.  PARTICIPANTS DID INCLUDE 
REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE "UNIFIED" AKALI DAL, THE 
BABBAR KHALSA, BOTH THE MANJIT SINGH AND GURJIT SINGH 
FACTIONS OF THE ALL INDIA SIKH STUDENTS FEDERATION, 
THE BHINDRANWALE TIGERS FORCE OF KHALISTAN, THE 
KHALISTAN COMMANDO FORCE, THE KHALISTAN LIBERATION 
FORCE, THE SIKH INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL AND THE DALIT 
FRONT.  INDIVIDUALS LAWYERS, INTELLECTUALS AND RETIRED 
MILITARY ALSO ATTENDED. 
 
7.  COMMENT:  THE CONTINUING VIOLENCE AND THE FLAT 
RESULT OF DARSHAN SINGH RAGI'S ATTEMPTS TO FORGE 
MILITANT-MODERATE UNITY INDICATE THAT THERE IS NO 
IMMEDIATE PROGRESS ON THE SIKH'S SIDE OF THE PUNJAB 
DILEMMA.  THE SPEECHES AT THE SIKH CONVENTION SHOW THE 
DEEP DIFFERENCES THAT REMAIN BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. 
INDEED, THE FINAL DECLARATION IS AN OBVIOUS ATTEMPT TO 
PAPER OVER THESE DIVISIONS.  DARSHAN SINGH RAGI'S 
ATTEMPT WAS WELL RECEIVED BY POLITICAL OBSERVERS AND 
THE HIGH PRIEST REMAINS THE BEST HOPE FOR SOME 
SOLUTION. 
 
 
STREEB