|
THEIR SWORN TESTIMONY
WSN Network
| |
Some of the most respected names who were in Delhi have stated
the truth, the sworn truth, time and again, but the Indian
Government is keen on letting go of the guilty. Congress’
weakness for men like Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler apart,
there are thousands others who killed and burnt Sikhs alive but
were never caught or prosecuted. Twenty-five years later, a
cursory reading of these affidavits by some sterling citizens
will shock anyone about how clear the truth was, and how it was
buried underneath many shams of the Indian regimes of various
hues. |
|
Shanti Bhushan
 I
learnt of the assassination of Indira Gandhi (while at) the Supreme
Court on 31-10-1984. On 1-11-84, I went to the office of the
Bhartiya Janta Party at
Ashoka Road,
New Delhi. On reaching there, I came to know of the reports about
Sikhs being massacred in different places of Delhi. Reports to this
effect were being constantly received not only from different areas
in Delhi but also from other places in the country as well. Feeling
very concerned about these happenings, I decided to go to Narsimha
Rao, the then Home Minister, who was personally known to me, to
apprise him of these events and to request him to take immediate
steps to have these incidents stopped. I met Shri Narsimha Rao at
his residence on 1-11-1984 and apprised him of the reports which had
been received. He confirmed the said reports. I got the impression
that while he was ... not proving / being effective. Shiv Shanker
(whom I met) was more communicative (but was) unhappy at the events
and ... was even contemplating his resignation.
Having seen kind
of brutal things that were happening on the 2nd November, I got the
distinct impression that the Police was not making any serious
attempt at stopping the miscreants from indulging in mass killings,
arson, looting etc.
(W)hen I watched
the T.V. broadcast of the place where Mrs. Gandhi’s body was lying
in state to enable members of the public pay their respect to the
departed leader, I also heard slogan on the T.V. “KHOON KA BADLA
KHOON SE LENGE”. When these slogans were being shouted, I noted that
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was present at that place and was bound
to have heard these slogans.
I also remember
that Rajiv Gandhi had also said in his public speech a few days
after the violence that when a big tree falls, the earth does shake.
It seemed to me that Rajiv Gandhi was describing the massacre of the
Sikhs as the shaking of the earth.
It was my
distinct impression that in as much as the Hindu groups / mobs who
were indulging in acts of riot, arson and murder were not themselves
armed with firearms, it should not have been difficult to stop these
acts if the armed police really intended to stop them. The
impression that I formed from all the events narrated above was that
there were perhaps some instructions from the top not to stop these
things for two or three days so that the Sikh community would learn
a lesson, and that this must have been the reason for the Home
Minister and Law Minister not being able to do anything and feeling
helpless.
That it is my
firm conviction that these incidents could not have happened without
some people organizing them, arranging for the mob and distributing
kerosene and other inflammable material to them in an organized
manner with the connivance of the State machinery. If the State
machinery really wanted to stop these incidents, they had sufficient
means to stop them by opening fire at a couple of places on the
first day itself when the violence erupted. Such incidents of
unprecedented violence, in my view, cannot continue for three days
without the connivance of the State machinery.
Madhu Kishwar
 In
Oct./Nov.`84, when a politically engineered massacre of the Sikhs
was carried out in Delhi and several other parts of the country,
during which their properties worth thousands of crores were
systematically looted and burnt, I was in Delhi...I visited some of
the worst affected areas, saw the carnage at first hand,
photographed the destruction and tape recorded several first hand
accounts of atrocities committed on the Sikh community. I also
personally witnessed some parts of the carnage, and even tried
unsuccessfully to stop the mobsters from burning the local gurudwara
in the Lajpat Nagar area of Delhi where I reside....I visited
Trilokpuri where the worst carnage took place, Kalyanpuri,
Mangolpuri, Palam Village, Relief Camps, police stations and several
other middle class localities to collect a comprehensive account of
what happened during those days of national shame.
...I personally
interviewed several men and women who were subjected to heinous
crimes, including gang rapes. I personally recorded their statements
and interviews and published them in Manushi....(T)he numerous
victims I interviewed gave graphic accounts of the atrocities
committed on their husbands, their young sons and brothers, which
they were compelled to witness before being sexually assaulted in
full public view. Most of them saw their loved ones attacked,
grievously wounded, and burnt whilst still alive. In some cases,
their men folk were roasted alive, with burning tyres put around
their necks by the miscreants....(T)he police did not record the
names of the political big wigs and known prominent accused by
blatantly refusing to register FIRs in accordance with law. Even in
my own neighbourhood, I saw the police look away indifferently while
gangsters went on a looting and burning spree.
(T) the
rampaging mobs...were laughing away and enjoying their looting and
burning spree. They jeered, abused and made all kinds of obscene
gestures while they went on a rampage. Watching them, one saw no
evidence or sign of any sadness or grief whatsoever.
(All these years
later) a large number of the culprits have been let off due to
complicity and willful lapses on the part of the police and
investigating agencies...Like many others, I am convinced that the
police and investigating agencies were under orders from high-ups to
block all avenues of justice for the victims.
Smt. Jaya Jaitley
 Either
on 1st November, 1984
or 2nd
November, 1984 I and Mr. Madhu Dandavate had gone to Arun Nehru’s
place as he was one of the Ministers in the Government. We were not
allowed entry into the house and we stood near the gate. Mr. Arun
Nehru came near the gate and we told him to call the army and to
take other appropriate steps to curb the violence. He stated that he
was taking necessary steps and after saying one or two sentences he
went inside.
Very probably on
5.11.1984, I had gone to Trilokpuri and at that time I found burning
tyres were placed around the necks of victims and that is how they
had been burnt and their flesh were lying on the ground. The dog was
trying to dig that out. We also saw cut hair lying in the houses and
on the roads.
…On the night of
3.11.1984 or 4.11.1984 when I was at Farash Bazar Camp I noticed
sudden of tension there. Everyone in the camp gathered together
because H.K.L.Bhagat had come to the camp. The persons in the camp
stated that he should not be allowed in the camp as he was the
person responsible for what had happened and they closed the doors
of the camp. In most (of the submitted) affidavits name of Congress
Pradhan Ram Pal Sarooj of Trilokpuri was mentioned.
Shri Ram Jethmalani
On 31st October, 1984 I was in Delhi and I had returned from USA on
that morning….That day in the evening we (met) Home Minister
Narasimha Rao…I told him about the incidents of fire and killings
taking place in the city and requested him to take immediate steps
and detailed some of them and also suggested that curfew may be
imposed army may be called and all party meeting may be called etc.
To all the suggestions Shri Rao was indifferent. … By the next day I
formed an impression that the police was inactive and therefore I
decided to collect few lawyers and go with them to various
localities where the violence was took place so as to bring
confidence among the peoples…In all 40-50 lawyers in robes in the
trans-Yamuna area two localities Laxminagar and Kalyan Puri. The
secene in those localities was very tragic we noticed many dead
bodies were seen on the roads. The vehicles were also on fire.
…I do know what
slogans were being shouted by the crowd but on television the
slogans shouted by the crowd could be heard as ‘KHOON KA BADLA KHOON
SE LENGE’. I can say that the crowds which we have seen was hostile
menacing crowd. They were no conspicuous presence of police in those
localities.
28
October 2009
|
Read Also