Massacre of Sikhs of Sultanpuri in 1984

I have vey inquisitive about the aftermath of attack on Sri Harmandir Sahib and later about killing of Smt Indira Gandhi. I moved from Talbehat in the first week of November and came to Delhi by train. I planned to stay at Gudwara Raqab Ganj for the night to collect facts about the Delhi Massacre. I met Dr Ajit Singh there who was recording the details of the Sikhs killed in Sultanpuri who had camped in Gurdwara after the massacre. Under a society formed by General Arora, some Sikh intellectuals including Dr. Ajit Singh started recording the details of killed wounded, raped, houses and properties destroyed etc. during Delhi riots which turned out to be a planned genocide of Sikhs.

Dr Ajit Singh with whim I had regular correspondence earlier and wrote for the magazine published by Piara Singh Data whose editor Dr Ajit Singh was recording the details on printed forms. Pointing to the families camped in the Gurdwara complex; he said he had recorded the details about the killing of 52 Sikhs in Sultanpur. These were too gruesome to describe verbally. I spoke to the ladies who described sobbing what all happened with them. I was numb as I could not go further. Tears rolled from my eyes uncontrolled. I later collected details from these forms and other families and also from what was published in papers and narrated by other eyewitnesses and compled this report..

While the women with Dupattas shed silent tears recalling the events, I forced myself not to cry.

These Sikligar Sikhs had migrating from Sindh in Pakistan in 1948, wandering in Mumbai, Jodhpur, Jaipur and Alwar, finally settled in Prem Nagar in Delhi, from where they were evicted and resettled in Sultanpuri in 1977. They were allotted 22 square yard houses of Sultanpuri, by the Indira Gandhi government, after their eviction from Prem Nagar in 1977. In this one room, one kitchen and one bathroom house, with toilets at a distance of 200 yards or more as public toilets, live more than 7-10 members of the family. Just outside the house, at the door is the small coal-based foundry which is their main source of living. They work outside their homes in perpetual fear that the pollution-control bodies of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will not impose penalty, harass and arrest them. which by 1984 became an overgrown suburb far from the upcoming clean and green environs of the growing metropolis but now is part of the city and home to families with no less than 7 to 10 members in each house.. The squalor and filth of the area makes one wonder whether one is in Delhi or the backwaters of Bihar or Uttar Pradesh. They had been Sikh since Sindh days. Under the leadership of their elder Basant Singh, they had managed to build a Gurdwara at Sultanpuri [1]

Gurdwara Sahib at Sultanpuri in 1984 built by Sikligars

Armed mobs took over the streets in Delhi by 8 AM on 01 Novemer 1984. Gurdwaras were among the first targets. The worst-affected areas were low-income neighbor-hoods such as Inderlok (erstwhile Trilokpuri), Shahdara, Geeta Colony, Mongolpuri and Sultanpuri. Details of incidents recorded in Nanavati Commission ar e a glipse of these incidents

As per Nanavati Commission report (p.112-118) about Police Station Sultanpuri where Sikligar Sikhs lived, “ this area was one of the worst affected areas of Delhi. Here the violent attacks on Sikhs and their properties were on a large scale. The blocks mainly affected were A-4, C-4 and F Block.

The affidavits of persons residing in Blocks A and B disclose that in the morning of 1-11-84 between 8 and 9 am, a mob of about 500 - 600 persons gathered near B-2 Park and it was addressed by local Congress(I) M.P. Shri Sajjan Kumar who instigated them by telling that “Sardarro ne hamari Indira Gandhi mari hai, ab sardoro ko maro, looto aurag laga do”. The mob was raising slogans Khoon Ka Badla Khoon & Sardoron Ko Jaan Se Mar do”. Thereafter houses of the Sikhs in different blocks were attacked. These attacks continued for the whole day and on the following day also. More than 50 people were killed during these attacks and more than 650 houses were looted and burnt. Sumer Singh S/O Bhioja Singh, Phota Singh, S/o Doonger Singh, Sidhouri Kaur W/o Annaand Singh, Anwar Kaur W/o Naveen Singh, Manbari Kaur, W/o Kuldeep Singh, Jal Kaur W/o Ram Singh, Jatan Kaur W/o Mistri Singh, Cham Kaur W/o Anar Singh, Smt. Prem Kaur W/o Amar Singh, Smt. Chal Kaur W/o Mohinder Singh, Bhag Singh W/o Balwant Singh, Bhikeli Kaur W/o Joginder Singh, Ram Kaur W/o Shaankar Singh, Salawati KaurW/o Wazir Singh, Jeet Kaur W/o Sangat Singh, Padmi Kaur W/o Charan Singh, Dhoban Kaur W/o Ishwar Singh have described the attacks on their own houses and other houses in the locality and killing of their near relatives. Sumer Singh, Phota Singh, Sidhouri Kaur, Jatan Kaur and Prem Kaur have specifically named Sajjan Kumar, Congress(I) MP as the person who addressed the mob on that day in the morning near B - 2 Park and incited it to attack Sikhs.

Sumer Singh, Manbari Kaur, Smt. Chal Kaur and others have also stated that Nathu Pradhan, Jai Bhagwan and others led one mob. Persons in the mob were armed with weapons and had also brought with them kerosene oil and petrol. Mr. Bhati, Station House Officer of Sultanpuri Police Station and Jai Chand Havaldar were also with the mob. Instead of helping the Sikhs who had gathered together, Station House Officer Bhati was telling them to go to their respective houses. He had alsothreatened them that if they came out of their houses he would fire upon them. Soon after the Sikhs went to their houses, the mob started attacking Sikhs. Prem Kaur’s house was set on fire and when her husband and two sons tried to run away from that place, her husband was hit by a bullet fired by Station House Officer Bhatia. Her sons were also hit by shots fired by the crowd. Prem Kaur has stated that when she tried to go near her sons Nathu Pradhan, Brahmanand Gupta and Rajesh stripped her and committed rape. Jeet Kaur W/o Sangat Singh has stated that Gupta, who had a kerosene oil depot, incited the mob to loot and kill Sikhs. She has also stated that the Police asked them to remain inside their houses. She has also spoken about the firing towards their houses. After sometime those policemen themselves led a mob armed with lethal weapons and attacked her house. The mob dragged her husband out and burnt him alive. Jeet Kaur has stated that she recognized Nathu Pradhan, Jai Bhagwan Gupta from the mob as theywere prominent persons of the locality. (p. 112)

Padmi Kaur W/o Sheetal Singh has stated in her affidavit that some persons from the mob caught her daughter Maina Kaur and when they were tearing her clothes, herhusband begged them to let her go. He was killed and the daughter was taken away. She has also stated that the mob was led by Brahmanand Gupta, Uddal and Nathu Pradhan. One Mr. Omi came in a tempo at night, loaded the dead bodies and took them away. In spite of so many incidents, which took place in A-4 Block on 1-11-84, only one FIR (FIR No. 250) was recorded by the Police. During the investigation of that FIR, murders of 137 persons at different places of Sultan Puri were included in it. On 2-11-1984 also, attacks had continued in a similar manner. Smt. Durjan Kaur W/o Dalip Singh, Ramesh Kaur W/o Dedar Singh, Ghuddi Kaur, W/o Jarnail Singh, Jeet Kaur W/o Sangat Singh, Banto Kaur W/o Inder Singh, Jatan Kaur, Sant Kaur, Rajani Kaur, Bori Bai and Cham Kaur have described in their affidavits the incidents witnessed by them. Ramesh Kaur has specifically named Nathu Pradan and Om Tempawala as the persons leading the mob. She has also stated that SHO Bhatia, and Hawaldar Jai Chand were also in that mob. Ghuddi Kaur has also named Omi, Nathu Pradhan and Brahmanand Gupta as the persons who had killed her husband by pouring kerosene on him. Some persons are also named by Banto Kaur and Jatan Kaur. In respect of these incidents in Block A-4 on 2-11-84, FIR No. 252 was registered on 13-11-84. During investigation of this case, deaths of 95 persons and many cases of arson and lootingwere included in it.

In P – Block about 600 houses were attacked. These attacked began at 2 pm andcontinued during the night. Parsnni Kaur, Malkit Singh, Gopi Kaur, Lakhwinder Kaur, Sardar Harnam Singh, Manjit Singh, Kartar Singh, Thakuri Devi have spoken about the incidents which took place in this block. On 1-11-84, 10 sikhs were killed in P Block and many houses of Sikhs were looted and burnt. All these incidents were made a part of FIR No. 250 or FIR 251. C-4 Block of Sultanpuri was the worst affected block. In that block,attacks had started right from the morning of 1-11-1984 and continued upto 3-11-1984. (P.113)

Rajni Devi has stated that sometime after 8 a.m. on that day, a mob came to her house took her husband out and burnt him by throwing some white powder on him. Pinia Singh speaks about the attack on him and others at about 10 a.m. He has stated that when Sikhs were being attacked, police was just watching instead of helping them. He has stated that kerosene was supplied by Gupta who was the owner of kerosene oil depot. He was able to recognise some more persons in the mob and disclosed their identify to the Police. He has also stated that Station House Officer

Bhatia shot Tota Singh Mastana in his presence. Gopi Kaur has spoken about the attack on her house in the evening. She has stated that Sultanpuri’s Thanedar was with the mob. That Thanedar shot dead an old Sikh. Her husband was brutally killed in front of her and thereafter he was set on fire by throwing kerosene oil on him. The said mob was led by Prem, Gopi and Denny. Vidya Devi whose husband was also burnt alive by a mob has stated that the mob was led by Shri Sajjan Kumar, who was a Member of Parliament. She has stated that Danny, Prem, Raju. Gopi and others dragged her husband out of the house and burnt him alive.

Asudhi Bai, Inder Singh and Bhagwani Bai have also stated about the incidents which took place in this block. Bhagwani Bai has specifically stated that Member of Parliament Shri Sajjan Kumar came with a mob and instigated it to burn her house and kill the inmates. Her two sons were burnt by the mob in front of her own eyes. Pehalwan Singh R/o F-Block has stated mobs had started collecting in their area right from 6 a.m. on 1-11-84. Teede Kaur has also stated a mob collected outside her house at about 9 AM. Sangat Singh, Anek Kaur, Pehalwan Singh, Shoba Singh, FilmKaur, Burfi Kaur, Teede Kaur, Uttam Singh, Santra Kaur, Rangbai Kaur and other havenarrated in their affidavits the incidents of killing of their family members before their own eyes. (p.114)

Anek Kaur has stated that her house was surrounded by a mob between 8 and 9 p.m. on that day. The mob was led by Rattan and Congress (I) leader Jai Singh. The policemen who were standing there were inciting the mob to kill sardars and burnt theirhouses. Her house was looted and set on fire. She has also stated earlier when shealongwith others had gone to Block E - 6 Sajjan Kumar M.P. and Jai Kishan a Congress(I) leader had come in a jeep and when she had run upto them for protection Jai Kishan had said that only 6 sardars were left and that he would get them killed. Sajjan Kumar had also stated that they should be beaten to death. More than 170 incidents had happened in the F - Block on 1-11-84. There were about 114 such incidents on 2- 11-84 and 5 on 3-11-84. Regarding the incidents which took place in E – Block between 1-11-84 and 3-11-84, one person had filed an affidavit before Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission. Teerath Singh, Santra Kaur, Sukhi Kaur, Anek Singh, Dina Singh, Jagar Singh, Itbar Singh, Sheila Kaur, Amarjeet Kaur, Ram Pyari, Atma Singh, Kaura Singh, Bhag Singh, Maina Kaur, Shanti Kaur, Roshani Kaur, Shyam Kaur who were residents of E-6 have filed affidavits before this Commission. All of them have generally stated that their houses were looted and burnt and male members of their family were killed by the mobs.

Moti Singh of B-Block has stated that on 1-11-84 at about 8.30 a.m. Shri Sajjan Kumar had told the mob which had gathered near B – Block to kill the “sons of snakes” and he would reward them because they had murdered their Prime Minister. Shri Sajjan Kumar had also told the mob that whosoever killed Roshan Singh or Bhag Singh would be given Rs.5000/- and those who kill other Sikhs would be given a reward of Rs.1000/- per head. Thereafter Nathu Pradhan and Congress(I) worker Bharti had stated that they would kill sardars. Station House Officer Shri Bhati who was already present there had thereafter told the Sikhs to go inside their houses.

Sometime thereafter attacks on Sikhs started and large number of Sikhs were killed. He has also spoken about an incident, which happened on 2-11-84. At about 6 a.m. a mob came near his house but soon started going to some other place. So his son Roshan Singh thought of running away to a safe place. By the time Roshan Singh was two steps away from their house, Station House (p.115) Officer Bhati fired at him from his revolver and said that “Mera Hota Hooye Koi Sikh Bach Ke Nahi Ja Sakta”. This attack on the Moti Singh was also seen by his grand son. So, he went out to save Moti Singh. Thereupon Jai Chand fired a shot at Moti Singh’s grand son and killed him. Another grand son of Moti Singh then went to their rescue but he was also injured by a shot fired by Jai Chand. He has further stated that after about 15 minutes Brahmanand Gupta brought kerosene oil in a bucket and poured kerosene overtheir bodies and set them ablaze. Some time between 7 and 8 a.m. one Uddal had killed Virsha Singh, his wife and his son by firing shots at them. He has stated that he had seen Gupta, Telwara, Nathu Pradhan and other persons in that mob. Kalia, resident of this Block, has also filed an affidavit narrating the incident which took place at about 12.00 noon. He has named Manoj and Pradhan of Juggi as the persons who were leading that mob. Guddi Kaur has also spoken about the attack on their house and named Nathu Pradhan, Jai Bhagwan and some others as the persons who were in the mob. Joginder Singh has specifically stated that M.P. Sajjan Kumar brought a mob which was armed with weapons and had brought kerosene oil with them. Nathu Pradhan and some other persons were in the mob. Sajjan Kumar was telling them that they have 72 hours freedom to kill Sikhs and that they should see that no Sikh escaped. Station House Officer of Sultanpuri Police Station was there. He has stated that he had seen the Station House Officer firing from his revolver and killing three Sikhs. Jagdish Kaur, Inder Kaur have also spoken generally about the attacks on their houses and killing of their relatives.

In FIR No.250 incidents involving deaths of 137 Sikhs and 88 cases of looting of houses were investigated. In FIR No.251 incidents involving of 24 Sikhs and 66 cases of looting or house burning were investigated. In FIR No.252, 95 deaths of Sikhs and 71 cases of looting and damaging houses were investigated. In this case 32 persons were arrested and chargesheeted. 3 accused were convicted and 29 accused were acquitted. (p. 116).

In FIR No.268, 112 deaths of Sikhs and 436 cases of looting and damaging houses were investigated. In this FIR all the incidents for which complaints were received but were not included in FIR Nos. 250, 251 and 252 were included. This FIR was recorded on 19-12-84.

In the written submissions filed by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) it is submitted that Station House Officer Bhati and Head Constable Jai Chand had forced the Sikhs to go inside their houses under a threat of using force against them. This was done with a view to prevent them from defending themselves collectively. After the Sikhs were thus separated the mobs were allowed to attack them. It is also their allegation that the Station House Officer of this Police Station was not only seen leading a mob but had killed Sikhs. It is also submitted on the basis of the affidavits of Prem Kumar, Moti Singh and Satyawati Kaur that Havaldar Jai Chand had fired at Jairnal Singh and killed him. It is further submitted that from the affidavit of Penniya Singh and Gopi Kaur it is clear that Tota Singh was killed by Bhati. It is further submitted that inspite of large number of murder and incidents of looting and damaging houses only one FIR was recorded on 1-11-84 and one FIR was recorded on 3-11-84. Subsequently a third FIR was recorded on 13-11-84.

Large number of incidents of looting and arson had taken place on 1-11-84 in Blocks A, B, C, E, F & P of Sultanpuri. In most of these cases the police threatened and forced Sikhs to go inside their houses and then they were allowed to be attacked by mobs with full connivance of the police. Affidavits of Smt. Jatan Kaur, Guddi Kaur, Chal Kaur and Shri Moti Singh clearly show that this attitude of some policemen of this Police Station. Affidavit of Ramesh Kaur, Sangat Singh, Gopi Kaur, Prem Kaur, Smt. Gulbani Kaur and Smt. Guddi Kaur disclose that not only the Station House Officer was seen by them leading the mob but he had fired some shots and killed two or three Sikhs. While firing at Roshan Singh he is alleged to have said “ No Sikh can go from here alive while I am here.” Havaldar Jai Chand is also alleged to have fired on Jarnail Singh and killed him. Affidavits of Shri Moti Singh, Smt. Prem Kaur, Smt. Salavati Kaur, Sh. Piyana Singh and Smt. Gopi Kaur show that Tota Singh was shot by Station House Officer Bhati. (p.117)

Some of the affidavits further show that police officers in-charge of the Police Station refused to record complaints of the individuals. Affidavits of Shri Kaliya and Smt. Rajni Devi show that Sikhs were humiliated and asked to shave their hair at this Police Station. Some of the dead bodies of the victims were disposed of by the police after carrying them away in tempos. The material also indicates that to ensure that Sikhs were not able to escape and the killers were not identified, electric supply of this area was switched off. Some Sikhs who were considered to be influential or could subsequently create trouble were isolated and taken to Thana. No preventive arrests were made between 31-10-84 and 2-11-84. (P. 118)” [3]

In Block A of Sultanpuri where Sikligars lived, on 1st November 1984, when police-led mobs attacked the Gurdwara, as an organized crowd after the murder of Smt. Indira Government at Sultanpuri shouting ‘khoon k badla khoon’ (the slogan first shouted by Amitabh Bachan at the residence of Indira Gandhi and I am witness to his slogan shouting on TV), no Sikhs were spared. The first attack was on Sardar Basant Singh, who had managed to build the Gurdwara there, was brutally attacked and killed with vengeance. (This had remained wallowed up for a long time amongst the “others”). The Gurdwara was then set on fire. Nihal Singh the octogenarian Granthi, who with his son, at the full risk to his life, saved three Saroops of Guru Granth Sahib when asked to recall the times nonchalantly said, “Ki Yaad kariye, police aayi si, phir lok aaye sann, jaan-pehchaan vale lok, ik haneri aayi te sadhe kunbe de kahi lokan ni aapne lappet vich lai gayi. Assi log maare gaye sann A block vich”. Nihal Singh and his wife had taken Amrit after partition, along with hundreds of Sikhs at an Amrit Parchar ceremony organized by Master Tara Singh at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, when the Gurdwara was merely a tin-sheet roof. (1) Another Sikh Sohan Singh who tried to save Saroop of Guru Granth Sahib was burnt alive with a Sarup in his lap. He had pleaded that the Guru be spared, but the others had other plans. They did not spare him, nor the Guru. ”. Next targets were the houses. Men, houses and property was put to fire sprinkling kerosene. In some houses, for want of kerosene, they were tied to their beddings and set afire. Somehow, two or three male Sikhs escaped from the worse-than Russian ghettoes dwelling built by the Indian government to honour the housing rights of the marginalized sections of society. (1) The ghetto of Sultanpuri on the outskirts of Delhi, where the lampions, police, friends and acquaintances coordinated well orchestrated attacks to kill the poorest Sikhs in cold-blood

The local MLA Jai Kishen and the Member of Parliament, Ms Krishna Tirath, representing this constituency is from the Congress party, the same party which led the anti-Sikh pogrom from the front. It is the same party which forced hapless widows to retract evidence so that Gupta, Nathu and Islam could go scot free.The fear amongst the survived was immense.

Their helplessness was evident in what one lady president of the Gurdwara said, “hamare bacchon ko kissi tarah kesh rakhana sikha do, hamko bahut sharam aati hai.”They say so because though the shadow of fear of November 1984 is no more, atleast on the surface, it has become an easy excuse for the young ones, who go out of their settlement in search of work. At some level, in spite of the bravado of some middle-aged Sikhs, the fear lurks.

Sultanpuri is only one of the many deras, where these beloved traditional weapon makers, the Sikligar Sikhs, the protectors of Sikh honour and dignity, were made sitting ducks in an organized and orchestrated genocidal plan to wipe ou t the poorest of the poor. Their lives have been shattered. Today, their children shorn their hair, forgetting the age-old message passed onto them from generation to generation “Kesh nahi katane hai, chahe jaan chali jaaye.” The bonds with tradition amongst the Sikligar Sikhs is so strong that they withstood the onslaught of the Mughals and the British, they have buttressed the proselytization campaigns of the Christians and the RSS in many parts of the country, but November 1984 shattered their lives and traditions. (1)

The families of these Sikhs were later shifted to Trilokpuri and no one was left at Block A of Sultanpuri. A Nihang Singh has been looking after the Sulrtanpuri Gurdwara.

Successive Indian governments’ failure to prosecute those most responsible for killings and other abuses during the 1984 anti-Sikh violence highlights India’s weak efforts to combat communal violence. The new Indian government should seek police reforms and to enact a law against communal violence that would hold public officials accountable for complicity and dereliction of duty.

Ten government-appointed commissions and committees have investigated the deadly attacks against thousands of Sikhs in 1984 following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Independent civil society inquiries found complicity by both police and leaders of Gandhi’s Congress Party. Yet, three decades later, only 30 people, mostly low-ranking Congress Party supporters, have been convicted for the attacks that resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries. No police officer has been convicted, and there were no prosecutions for rape, highlighting a comprehensive failure of the justice system.

“India’s failure to prosecute those most responsible for the anti-Sikh violence in 1984 has not only denied justice to Sikhs, but has made all Indians more vulnerable to communal violence,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities repeatedly blocked investigations to protect the perpetrators of atrocities against Sikhs, deepening public distrust in India’s justice system.”

Now the advocate H S Phoolka who has been regjlarly following these cases has asked Supreme Court to apologise for not giving justice to the Sikhs even after 44 days.

References

1. Jagmohan Singh, Sikligar Sikhs, Sultanpuri and Delhi in November 1984 Sikligar Sikhs, Sultanpuri and Delhi in November 1984
2. India: No Justice for 1984 Anti-Sikh Bloodshed, Failure to Prosecute “Organized Carnage” Shows Need for Police Reforms, Communal Violence Law India: No Justice for 1984 Anti-Sikh Bloodshed
3. G. T. Nanavati, Chairman, Justice Nanavati Commission Of Inquiry, 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots, New Delhi, Dated: 09-02-2005, pp.112-118

I don't understand first there are only 57 muslim countries,and they are not controlled by fanatics.Just because muslim don't share woke values does not make them fanatic.And also most of the muslim countries are developed,and wealthy,and with better HDI.