Honoring Jaswant Singh Khalra and the Movement for Justice

By
Sukhman S. Dhami
Ensaaf Team
Sep 6, 2025
5 min read
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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

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