Thirty years ago, India’s security forces brutally murdered human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra for exposing over 2,000 secret cremations of the disappeared in Punjab.
The Speech that Challenged the Darkness
They hoped that by silencing Khalra, his findings would also disappear.
Instead, his martyrdom ignited a human rights movement that investigated and documented thousands more cases of enforced disappearances, unlawful killings, and torture, and laid the foundation for justice initiatives that continue to this day.
Khalra’s Sacrifice led to Precedent-setting Litigation
- India’s Supreme Court found a “flagrant violation of human rights on a mass scale.”
- Five Punjab Police officials were sentenced to life imprisonment for their role in his abduction and murder.
- The National Human Rights Commission ordered compensation to families of the secret cremation victims documented by Khalra.
- And evidence first unearthed by Khalra has supported dozens of convictions of Punjab Police officials for gross human rights violations.
Profound in its own right, for three decades Paramjit Kaur Khalra and her children have carried his mission across the globe, championing the struggle for truth and accountability in Punjab. Their unwavering courage and compassion have sustained thousands of survivor families in their pursuit of justice.
One Voice Sparked a Movement
To honor Jaswant Singh Khalra’s legacy, we must carry this movement forward. Justice calls us to confront impunity wherever it thrives and defend the human rights of all people.
Whether facing genocide in India, Palestine, or Sudan, let us act in solidarity to defend our shared humanity and build a just society with freedom and dignity for all- the vision Khalra gave his life for.
In Solidarity,
Sukhman S. Dhami
Executive Director, Ensaaf
