1984
What I Saw in New Delhi on November 1, 1984
M.R. NARAYAN SWAMY
It was an accidental meeting with a military police officer that led us to the house of death in Delhi in 1984.
We had witnessed on the evening of October 31, 2014 the first bout of anti-Sikh violence that followed Indira Gandhi's assassination. We were near the All India Institute of Medical Science ("AIIMS") in South Delhi where the prime minister was declared dead after being shot by two Sikh bodyguards.
Orchestrated mob violence against the Sikh community quickly enveloped the city, with frenzied supporters of known Congress politicians attacking innocent Sikhs and their property.
Reporter Jagpreet Kaur Luthra and I saw a Sikh-owned bus set on fire and Sikh-owned shops getting looted at the Kidwai Nagar market, a stone's throw from AIIMS.
"Maro Sardaron ko!"
The cries were chilling. The atmosphere was frightening.
Police were nowhere in sight although they existed in hundreds near the AIIMS hospital. In any case, they made no effort to stop anyone. Jagpreet quickly took off her karra and put it in her purse. She didn't want anyone to know she was a Sikh.
It was the first time after the holocaust of 1947 that Sikh identity became an invitation to death.
But with the nation's focus riveted on Indira Gandhi's assassination per se, no one seemed to really know the extent and depth of the mounting violence against Sikhs. It was not the age of technology. Most journalists in most media houses were busy with political stories.
But everyone knew something was gravely wrong.
It was close to noon on November 1 that my UNI colleagues Dipanker De Sarkar, Rajiv Pande and I chanced upon the military police officer near the Delhi Cantonment railway station where a young Sikh lay dead, close to the tracks.
The officer told us to visit the Delhi Police mortuary to know the full extent of the savagery. "Why are you wasting your time going around the city?"
Professionally, I am glad we acted on his advice.
As we entered the mortuary at Subzi Mandi, we saw a man bringing a pile of dismembered bodies on a wheelbarrow. He would later tell us that he picked them up near the New Delhi Railway Station. Placed all along the corridors of the mortuary were many more bodies – of Sikhs waylaid in various parts of the city and brutally killed, most of them not even knowing what their crime was.
If I recall right, I counted 172 or 173 bodies – in several rows, neatly placed one after the other.
That was when one of the policemen whispered, pointing to a large dimly lit room: "Go there and see."
What we saw was bone chilling. Piled up shabbily like a mini mountain – like sacks of foodgrain in a warehouse – were bodies after bodies, of men and women, drenched in blood. Some bodies had no clothes. A strong stench hit us all. I recall Dipanker rushing out to throw up.
There was no way we could count how many bodies were stuffed there.
The doctor in charge of the mortuary, L.T. Ramani, calmly shared with us the statistics. The story we filed for UNI an hour later was the first to tell the world that hundreds – yes, hundreds – of Sikhs had been slaughtered in Delhi by Congress-sponsored mobs to avenge Indira Gandhi's assassination.
For three full days from the evening of Oct. 31, killer mobs ruled Delhi. There was no area they spared, barring perhaps the very heart where VVIPs reside. The state simply withered away. People were pulled out of trains, buses and cars and set upon viciously. Many were beaten to death with any available weapon. Others were set on fire. Sikh shops, businesses and hotels were looted and torched. It was a festival of death that emptied Delhi's streets of Sikhs for days.
Published photographs of Sikhs celebrating Indira Gandhi's death in London only fuelled more violence.
By the time a bruised calm returned to the city, the damage had been done. Sikh pride had been irrevocably hurt. The Congress claims to secular values were in tatters. It was a national shame.
The author is Executive Editor of the IANS news agency.
[Courtesy: IANS. Edited for sikhchic.com]
November 1, 2014
Conversation about this article
1: Kaala Singh (Punjab), November 01, 2014, 9:40 AM.
As the Jewish Holocaust triggered the creation of Israel, the genocide of Sikhs will, sooner or later, trigger the creation of an independent Sikh state. On this day every Sikh must pledge to work for the establishment of a homeland where Sikhs will live with dignity and security. Let us all stop crying and begging for justice from those very people who did this to us and should vow to make the Sikh Nation so strong that nobody will dare do this to us again. This will be a fitting tribute to the martyrs of 1984. Let us correct the wrongs of history and find our true place in the world. OTHERWISE, we must remember that this is not the first genocide we have suffered and will not be the last one.
2: Kaala Singh (Punjab), November 01, 2014, 12:58 PM.
The Modi Govt. has announced a compensation of Rs 500,000 for the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh genocide and a lot of people have hailed this announcement and some people in the Hindu community have questioned this decision saying that Sikhs are being pleased for the upcoming elections in Delhi and the Election Commission has even served a notice to the Govt. to explain its decision. Let us now consider the following facts to decide if this is a 'favour' being done to us. The Indian State steals 30 billion dollars from us every year in the form Central taxes. Sikh farmers of Punjab are paid much less than the market price for their produce. Water is stolen by non-riparian states without paying any royalty, in complete violation of Indian law in this regard. According to an estimate the Indian state steals 50 billion dollars from the Sikhs every year. Now, please tell if this is a favour being done to the community for destroying innocent lives? Also, India by controlling our land hampers the development of our economic relations with Pakistan and via Pakistan with China, Central Asia and the Middle East and there is a tremendous potential waiting to be tapped into here. We have no disputes with Pakistan, we are suffering because of India's disputes with Pakistan. If Sikhs were to have an independent state, they will have a GDP of 50 billion dollars from the first day, enough to support the entire Sikh population and there would be no need for Sikhs to live in the hell-holes of Delhi and elsewhere and live under constant threat of Hindu mobs. There has to be fundamental change in the thought process of Sikhs. On this day, we must pledge that we will not allow Hindu terrorism to decide our destiny.
3: Hardev Singh (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada), November 01, 2014, 3:09 PM.
No more farce of a mere pittance in compensation or Supreme Court inquiry. They are conniving new schemes to derail justice. Arrest the guilty now and let them rot in jail.
4: Tinku (Punjab), November 01, 2014, 3:48 PM.
We have done a very poor job of documenting details of this genocide. We have not even documented all of the other cities, towns and villages where similar massacres occurred. Who were the people (mob) committing this crime on the ground, where did they come from? Should we have an opportunity tomorrow to bring all these culprits to court, we should drag in not only the people who planned this but also the culprits following the orders. And the accomplices, including the media apologists. Only then will we will have full justice!
5: Harvinder Singh (London, United Kingdom), November 02, 2014, 12:34 AM.
Sikhs around the world have observed 'Yaad' today and will do again over the next few days. My five minutes of silence was spent in solemn contemplation ... Ruminating on the anti-Sikh pogrom in November 1984 and the ensuing Genocide. It urges me to repudiate the narrative of the rogue Indian State. That 'these were random and spontaneous riots as a result of the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh body guards.' Recently, under the 30-year declassification rule, the British Government released a letter written, in June 1984, by Indra Gandhi to Prime Minister Margret Thatcher. She wrote: "Of all the malefactors those Sikhs who wear the religious garbs are the most dangerous and need to be especially watched ..." - revealing her pernicious intent towards Sikhs. Dr Sangat Singh, a Sikh academic and other writers have opined that Indira's government was concocting a plan code-named 'Operation Shanti.' This was a state plan to cause great carnage and gross massacre of Sikhs during Guru Nanak's birth anniversary in November 1984. It is alleged that it was the intelligence and knowledge of 'Operation Shanti' that caused Beant Singh and Satwant Singh to execute Indira. On the very first day of the massacres, India's President Zail Singh was attacked, identified by the rapacious mobs by his dastaar. If the Sikh President of the state was not safe, which normal Sikh would have found security from the law enforcement agency's of that great hypocrisy that calls itself a 'democracy'? Within a few hours, the state was able to mobilize serious criminals were released from prisons, vehicles were provided, regulation-size batons made available, petrol and white arsenic powder distributed, markers painted outside Sikh houses and business. First, Sikh properties were looted of all valuables and assets, then the women and girls were raped, the Sikh men were made to watch this orgy, then they were slain or burnt alive. Finally, the whole evidence was destroyed by the arsonists. It is conspicuous from these facts that this was a planned genocide. Independent Human Rights organisations such as the 'Peoples Union for Civil Liberties' and the 'Citizens for Democracy', assert that anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 people were killed in the space of 3 days in Delhi alone. The Indian state has not delivered justice for the victims of 1984. Also, the successive governments have not enacted any laws to prevent the repetition of these events. The latest Modi lame gesture of compensation is akin to a pedophile offering a packet of Smartees to the child to bury the evil deeds inflicted.
6: Kaala Singh (Punjab), November 02, 2014, 1:03 AM.
We have been peacefully protesting for the last 30 years and pleading with the various Indian Governments to do justice and rehabilitate the victims of the 1984 Genocide. Has anything happened until now? The situation will be the same even after another 30 years. The Genocide of Sikhs was a result of a consensus in the Hindu society to crush the Sikhs, it does not matter if the Congress or BJP is in power. The Indian State has given us a clear message that we are not equal citizens and can be sacrificed, it is we who have not understood that message. How can we be part of a mation that massacres us for no reason? All said and done, the Sikhs must understand this message and start thinking and acting as if we are alone and that nobody will help us, be it the UN, UK, USA, etc. We must start thinking and acting independently and strategically. Here are a couple of thoughts. Let us start with Punjab, our homeland. Let us show them that we are not weak and we are capable of taking care of ourselves. Let us start to think like we are independent and have got nothing to do with the Hindu State. 1) Sikhs are more than 65% of the population of Punjab and own more than 90% of the land. We must preserve the Sikh majority of Punjab, no land should be sold to outsiders. 2) Sikh farmers should go for massive mechanization and modernization of agriculture. This will not only help to increase their income but would also stop the influx of outsiders into Punjab. 3) Indian political parties like the Congress and BJP have no place in the Sikh homeland of Punjab. If the Sikhs unite and have a Sikh political party which ys truly dedicated to protecting Sikh interests, these parties can be reduced to nothing in Punjab and their mischief potential curbed. 4) Let us fix the economy of Punjab first, so that Sikhs do not have to go to the hell-holes of Delhi and elsewhere for a living and become sitting ducks for Hindu mobs. 5) If the economy of Punjab prospers, the Sikhs living under terror in the Indian cities will be able to return to Punjab and and bolster the Sikh population here. We have seen that in 1984, when a large number of Sikhs settled in Punjab after the Genocide. The Sikh population of Delhi and other areas of the Hindu state is not even half of what it used to be before 1984. Our aim here is not leave any easy targets for the Hindu mobs and have Sikhs living in sufficient numbers to defend themselves. Let us have Sikh mobs deal with these Hindu mobs, I know what will happen, I have personally seen it! 6) Sikhs have a strong and prosperous presence in every major country of the world and this is a great asset. They should be our ambassadors to the world. They should become even more involved in their home countries politically and in every sense and should also help in the development of Punjab. 7) As we don't have access to the sea, we must have direct trade relations with Pakistan and via Pakistan to other countries without having to go through Indian territory and ports, because otherwise the Hindu State can snap our trade lines any time. 8) The most important thing here is the economy, trade and employment opportunities so that the Sikhs do not have to risk their lives to go to the lawless areas of India for a living. Sikhs who settled outside Punjab have seen everything they built in 50 years being consigned to flames by Hindu mobs. Let us do this in the next 30 years instead of begging and pleading for justice which will never happen. Let us have complete social, economic and demographic separation and see what happens, they would themselves be asking us where to deliver the likes of Sajjan Kumar and Tytler!
7: Kulvinder JIt Kaur (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada), November 02, 2014, 10:04 AM.
#2 - There are enough millionaire Sikhs in India alone who can give Rs. 500,000 to the victims of 1984. (They should have done something much earlier, e.g. pay for the education and rehabilitation of the survivors). If Sikhs have any pride left they should look after their own and say, "Thank you, but No, thank you" to this belated and puny offer. The main focus should be to get the culprits to pay for their crimes. Rs. 500,000 is not going to go far (with the cost of things in India). More importantly, give these survivors a secure future.
8: Tinku (Punjab), November 02, 2014, 10:53 AM.
Comment on #6: All you have to do in Punjab is make all the Sikh population self-reliant. That is, they don't go shopping ... PERIOD. Make them create their own cloth from cotton. Instead of sugar, use gurr. Walk or use cycle to wherever they need to. That's it. All these arya samajis will be brought to their knees and only resort for them will be to leave Punjab. I disagree with your mindset of Sikhs only in present day Punjab. We should at least aim for the Punjab before the British snatched it from us or more than that as interest to compensate for all the unrest and turmoil India has caused in the last 70 years.
9: Harvinder Singh (London, United Kingdom), November 02, 2014, 3:20 PM.
Kaala Singh ji,#6 - you propose some radical ideas. I acknowledge your serious need for change and the veracity of some of your ideas. Can you or others please expound on how the present quislings, caste based so-called Sikh leaders in India could be shown the exit door? How will they be replaced by lions and Lionesses? If a Sikh leadership with rectitude does not emerge, I fear all progressive Sikh political movements in Punjab will suffer.
10: Kaala Singh (Punjab), November 02, 2014, 11:42 PM.
#9 - Harvinder Singh ji: You live in the land of Winston Churchill, sadly the Sikhs have not been able to produce a leader like him and as they say, you only get the leaders you deserve. To experience what I am trying to say, you just need to visit a village in Punjab once and you will know, you will see completely illiterate people with no education whatsoever. All they want is freebies from the politicians and alcohol in the evening. Over the years they have graduated to using expensive drugs which keep them intoxicated for days together. The story is the same across Punjab. This is the level to which the Punjabi society has stooped in rural Punjab where the majority of Sikhs live. You can imagine the kind of leadership we can get under these circumstances. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, we can only move forward with education, social and economic development. If we had educated and capable leaders in 1947, we were being handed a country by the British literally on a plate, but to be honest I have my doubts about what would have happened to that country with leaders like these!
11: Sunny Grewal (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada), November 03, 2014, 5:04 AM.
I hate to sound like a total downer, however there is something that we should not forget when proposing ideas for Sikh independence in India. For 10 years Sikhs who were police officers in Punjab raped, looted and murdered their own for their Hindu masters. Indian nationalism has to be broken down in Punjab before there can be any real movement for economic and social independence from India.
12: Kaala Singh (Punjab), November 03, 2014, 11:13 AM.
This is a very painful fact that Commentator #11, Sunny ji, has pointed out. Some Sikhs have been complicit with the Indian State in its crimes, and that is the reason why I repeatedly stress on education and social and economic progress before anything else, otherwise our foes will always find quislings.
13: Harvinder Singh (London, United Kingdom), November 03, 2014, 7:47 PM.
Kaala Singh ji,#9 and Sunny ji, #11 - The political arithmetic of Sikhs in Punjab seems dire. Please recall that the present democratic system of Government in Britain that produces leaders like Winston Churchill was preceded by many centuries of bloodshed and treachery. Many a bloodthirsty monarch deposed successive kings and queens with violent coups. England became a solid and secure force in the world after she starting being reined in by people like Sir William Pitt around 1760. They proved that a small country and a few people may by their situation, trade and policy, be equivalent to a wealth and strength of a far greater people and territories. Our cherished Gurus told us these things 300 yrs before Britain became great. The ways to free leaders from the irrationality and the present strife of our people is also to be found in our Gurus' teachings. Once these leaders emerge, to vanquish Hindu chauvinism will be a piece of cake.