To this day the mass killing of Sikhs following the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards sends chills down the spine. Year after year, the wounds of unaccounted violence and loss of loved ones still bleed from horrifying memories of the many incidents that splattered the pages of Indian history with blood.
Here are some of the horrendous and heartbreaking accounts of the unfettered violence that happened.
Nakul Singh Sawhney still wonders why his father approached the mob, all Congress supporters, to inquire about Indira Gandhi's condition. He was pushed away, spat at and then he heard someone call him, "Saale Sardar", one of the many expletives thrown at him. His Hindu friend dragged him and rushed him home on his scooter. The naked hatred and anger towards Sikhs was unleashed.
Monami Basu used to live in the Safdurjung Enclave's B1 Block as a child. Her father and other members of the colony paid extra money to the watchmen to protect Sikh families. She clearly remembers a motel owned by her Sikh uncle set ablaze. The images of the atrocities committed haunt her even today.
Mohinder Kaur’s account sends chills down the spine. She was traveling from Punjab to Mumbai with her husband. A mob of angry men gathered around them when they reached Delhi, screaming that the "Nation's mother had been killed by the Sikhs." They beat her husband with an iron rod, dragged him out of the train, and burned him alive. The horrid memories are permanently seared into her memory.
Another account is about Hauz Rani, an area where the majority of the population was Muslim. The Muslims gathered around the road and did not allow the angry mob to enter the Hauz Rani area, Khirki, or Malvia Nagar. At the height of the unbridled barbarity, Muslim citizens came to the aid of their Sikh neighbors, undoubtedly saving countless lives while jeopardizing their own.
Pradeep Dutta recalls the Sikh family that resided across the street where he used to stay. Families in that area came together during the riots to protect that one family. Their house was locked from the outside. The neighbors ensured that they were provided food and water as and when required. The camaraderie between Hindus and Sikhs in some places was exemplary.
Ashok Vahie shares another story. In the same hospital where the late PM’s body was kept, there was another room where some Sikh men were being treated. They had been assaulted, abused, and tortured. Their turbans, symbols of the Sikh faith, were torn off their heads.
Ashok recalls another incident where he had to hide Narender Singh, one of his Sikh friends in his studio's darkroom. Narender was in hiding in the darkroom for 24 hours. He had to urinate and defecate there. The scene is still vivid in his memory.
Jamna Kaur was the mother of four sons. She lost all of them during the riots when they were set alight by the angry mob. The horrific cries of “ Haye Mumma, Haye Papa.” still ring in her ears. The agony and anguish she experienced never leaves her.
Another eyewitness was on a train with her family. When they reached Morena Station, the angry mob got into the train. Scared yet quick to act, she and her daughter hid her husband under the seat behind the luggage where the angry mob could not spot him. They took away two Sikh men but came back when someone informed them about the presence of another Sikh man in the cabin. Begging for mercy she requested the mob to spare her husband. A miracle happened when the leader said,” Leave them.”
Another was shaken to see the violent and angry mob chasing a young Sikh They threw petrol at him from a distance. They had anger and madness in their eyes. Others grabbed and got hold of his limbs. Each lit a matchstick and set the man ablaze. The horror and fear of the moment make one shudder.
When the Prime Minister was shot, A. Kahlon had gone to drop her son at the railway station. The violence had started when she returned. She was offered a lift by a man who was going towards her house. On his way, he rammed his car into a Sikh man, unashamedly laughing, and said, “Waise nahi mara,toh meri gaadi se mar jaega.” Kahlon hid her kara and says that it was luck that she was dressed in a saree that day.
D P Sandhu was returning from Mumbai to Amritsar with a few Sikh boys in his coach. To save their lives, Sandhu took them to the washroom and cut off their hair with an apple knife. For a long time, he was disturbed by this incident. He vowed never to travel by train again. Those scenes never left him.
Rishi Wadhwa is cognizant of the fear which persisted in his father's mind when he went to sleep in 1984. Vehicles with Sikh symbols were set on fire during the violence. To protect the vehicles, the elders sent out the boys to remove the stickers.
Grace Bains’s family lived in Karol Bagh. Her father was a college student and had four younger sisters .None knew where to go for protection when riots started. Her friend’s dad, a Hindu, came to their rescue. He arranged for a car to take them to his house where they were kept safe till the situation improved . Their savior was a Congress supporter . Humanity in many prevailed.
Killing, burning, and, looting people, the angry mob could be heard shouting slogans like, “ Hindu Muslim Bhai Bhai, Sikh Quam Kaha say Aayi.”Sounds ironic, doesn’t it?
These heartbreaking tales of eyewitnesses to atrocities against Sikhs speak volumes of their pain and anguish. 1984 is one of the worst periods in Indian history. The wave of violent, unprecedented violence left thousands of Sikhs dead, burned, murdered, widowed, raped, and homeless. It was clear that this wasn't only a reaction of the enraged people. The systematic method in which Sikh deaths and harassment occurred indicated that it was premeditated and orchestrated. It cannot be forgotten and forgiven. The scars of the Sikh Genocide will never completely heal. Truth and justice are the only ways for them to recover.
*Based on an article by Ashish Dutta on Scoop Whoop , Nov 03, 2017