On Friday evening, Justice Ajit Singh Bains, a human rights defender in Punjab passed away at the age of 99 at his residence in Chandigarh. He’s survived by his wife, 4 children including Sr. Advocate R.S. Bains and a legacy of defending human rights in Punjab during the militancy period.
Bains remained a Judge at Punjab and Haryana High Court from Oct 1974 – May 1984. He founded the Punjab Human Rights Organization right after his retirement in 1985. He remained associated with it till his demise. He was booked under TADA by state police in 1992, after which he spent six months in detention.
Meanwhile, Dal Khalsa paid tribute to Justice Bains and said that he was a person who fought for his people’s rights and stood against repression.
The organization said that their association with Judge Sahib went way back to 1998, when People’s Commission was formed by rights groups in Punjab to dig out truth behind rights violations, police excesses, fake encounters and forced disappearances during the days of militancy.
“Since then, our acquaintance with him grew stronger and warmer. His guidance has always been helpful to us. He was an inspiring father figure, for all those who want to fight against the state repression and police atrocities. He always graced the occasion at our functions especially when we have guests from other struggling nationalities including Kashmiris,” the organization said in a statement.
The organization said that Bains was nominated as a chairperson of the Coordination Committee formed by ethnic and religious minorities striving for their respective right to self-determination in Delhi on March 23, 2008. “The announcement was made at a press briefing at Press Club of India, in the presence of leaders of Hurriyat Conference, JKLF and Sikh organizations,” the statement added.
“Lastly, we met him three years back at his Chd residence. He was physically weak but mind wise he was alert and talked with us on the issues confronting the community and expressed his concerns about Punjab’s future,” the statement concluded.