Information on the these subjects, other than that provided below on the assassination of Beant Singh in Chandigarh, could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB.

On 31 August 1995, Beant Singh, Punjab's chief minister, was assassinated by a car bomb in Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana (AFP 1 Sept. 1995; ibid. 2 Sept. 1995; Star Tribune 1 Sept. 1995; India Abroad 8 Sept. 1995, 4; The Hindu 9 Sept. 1995, 1). The Babbar Khalsa, a Sikh militant organization, claimed responsibility, stating that Singh was killed because he had "betrayed the Sikh community" (ibid.; AFP 1 Sept. 1995; India Abroad 8 Sept. 1995, 4). According to an AFP report, following the assassination, the New Delhi police department "had been placed on a high security alert as a precaution against possible attacks by Sikh militants. Western Maharashtra and northern Haryana were on similar alert" (31 Aug. 1995). According to an Associated Press (AP) report, police in Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi "went on alert, setting up road blocks an the state borders and checking all vehicles" (31 Aug. 1995).

According to the AFP report of 31 August 1995, Haryana is "relatively peaceful."

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 September 1995. "New Delhi Academic Questioned in Sikh Politician's Assassination." (NEXIS)

_____. 1 September 1995. Abhik Kumar Chanda. "India Mourns Sikh Leader's Car-Bomb Assassination." (NEXIS)

_____. 31 August 1995. "So Far No One Has Claimed Responsibility for the City-Centre Blast ..." (NEXIS)

Associated Press (AP). 31 August 1995. AM Cycle. Harbaksh Singh Nanda. "Chief Minister of Punjab, 12 Others, Killed in Bomb Blast." (NEXIS)

The Hindu [Madras]. 9 September 1995. International Edition. Ravi Sidhu. "Beant Singh Killed in Bomb Blast."

India Abroad [Toronto]. 8 September 1995. Harbaksh Singh Nanda and Mayank Chhaya. "Dazed People Wonder About State's Future."

Star Tribune [Minneapolis]. 1 September 1995. "Bombing Blamed on Sikh Separatists Kills Punjab Leader." (NEXIS)

Attachments

Agence France Presse (AFP). 1 September 1995. Abhik Kumar Chanda. "India Mourns Sikh Leader's Car-Bomb Assassination." (NEXIS)

_____. 31 August 1995. "So Far No One Has Claimed Responsibility for the City-Centre Blast ..." (NEXIS)

The Hindu [Madras]. 9 September 1995. International Edition. Ravi Sidhu. "Beant Singh Killed in Bomb Blast," p. 1.

Additional Sources Consulted

DIRB "Amnesty International: India" country file. 1995.

DIRB Indexed Media Review (IMR) [Ottawa]. Weekly. 1995.

DIRB "India" country file. 1995.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports. January to May 1995.

The Hindu [Madras]. Weekly. June 1995 to present.

India Today [Delhi]. Fortnightly. 1995.

International Services Group (ISG), Citizenship and Immigration Canada [Hull]. Infrequent reports. 1994 to present.

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. Monthly. 1995.

News from Asia Watch. 1994 to present.

Office of Asylum Affairs (OAA), Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, United States. February 1995. India: Comments on Country Conditions and Asylum Claims.

Refugees, Immigration and Asylum Section (RIAS), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. June 1994. Country Profile: India.

On-line search of media sources.