STOCKTON, Nov. 10, 2011 – Rajwinder Bains, the attorney who achieved justice for murdered Punjabi human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has received a hero’s welcome during a speaking tour in California.

Jaswant Singh Khalra was a human rights activist who compiled evidence that Punjab Police arbitrarily abducted, illegally killed and secretly cremated thousands of Sikhs between 1984 and 1994. In 1995, after releasing proof that up to 25,000 Sikhs had been similarly disappeared, Khalra himself was abducted, tortured and killed by Indian police. Bains became the lead attorney on the Khalra trial case and has pursued prosecution of Khalra’s killers since 1995. On November 4, India’s Supreme Court upheld a sentence of life imprisonment for all five officers.

“Rajwinder’s courage and the faithfulness of the Khalra family in seeking justice for their murdered father resulted in a true human rights victory,” said Bhajan Singh, Founding Director of Organization for Minorities of India. “Together they struck a blow for liberty against the evils of tyranny and their efforts encourage all who work to uplift humanity from oppression. The officers acted on orders from the Director General of Police in Punjab, who remains free, so we will continue seeking justice.”

Bains began his speaking tour at a November 3 dinner in Union City. He was joined by Navkiran Kaur Khalra, daughter of the murdered Jaswant Singh, for a presentation to 50 human rights activists about the struggles for liberty in India. On the 5th, he spoke in tribute to Khalra before a packed Diwan Hall audience in Yuba City Gurdwara. On the 10th, he will participate with Navkiran Kaur and Raji Mangat of Ensaaf in a human rights panel moderated by U.C. Berkeley’s International Human Rights Clinic.

Additionally, he met privately with influential human rights lawyers in San Francisco to discuss the need for assisting Punjabi victims of ongoing human rights abuses. He also spoke to representatives of the Human Rights Center at U.C. Berkeley to advise them of past injustices and present struggles regarding human rights in India. Bains will conclude his tour as the keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual Remembrance of the Disappeared on November 12 and 13 at Stockton Gurdwara.

“Disappearances continue to occur with shocking regularity in Punjab,” said Singh. “One recent example is Sohanjit Singh, a Sikh family man who was quietly kidnapped by police in March of this year, tortured and murdered two weeks later. His family was left impoverished and police have repeatedly threatened his widow with violence if she seeks justice. Khalra’s family was blessed with the ability to follow his case to the end, but most Punjabi families do not have the time, resources or ability to pursue privileged assailants like the police.”