1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Affidavits

Affidavit submitted before the Misra Commission

AFFIDAVIT OF S. BALBIR SINGH, SON OF S. ARJUN SINGH, AGED 50 YEARS, R/O C-169, JIWAN NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110014.

I, Balbir Singh, the above named deponent, do hereby solemnly affirm and state as under: -

1. That on 1-11-84 at about 9:00 AM. I heard a loud noise from outside. I climbed on the roof of my house and I saw that in the chowk of Sunlight Colony two buses were parked and a huge crowd was standing there. I also saw that a mob comprising of about 4 to 5 hundred men was coming towards my house on the Bala Sahib Road.

This mob was loudly shouting slogans like"Sikhon Ko Mar Do Aur Un Ko Loot Lo" (Kill the Sikhs and loot them). When this mob came near the 'Mandir', three Sikh boys came out of S. Dalip Singh's Coal shop and ran towards Gurdwara Bala Sahib Road. One of them was carrying an axe and others were empty handed. I saw that the mob was being led by Suresh Jain, Naresh Sharma.

The mob challenged them, caught hold of them and killed one of the boys by beating him with iron rods and the other two were taken to 'Mandir'. Jogesh Sharma then asked the mob to loot Sardar's shop (Fancy Tailors). The mob then immediately broke the shutters and looted the shop. Then Naresh Jain told the miscreants to loot the house of Sardar (pointing out to my house). They accordingly started looting my house.

2. When the mob started to come inside my house, my children felt terrified and ran to my neighbour's house. Naresh Jain then gave a can of kerosene oil to the miscreants and asked to burn the shop. They did so. Then Sharma and Naresh Jain asked the crowd to proceed further. Narender Singh's tempo was parked on the road.

Naresh Jain told them that was a Sardar's tempo and should be burnt. They burnt that tempo also. Budh Ram was watching the whole scene from his house and he shouted to me to go down. I sat down by the side of the wall and watched everything. When my house was burning I came down from the backside and shouted for help.

A number of residents of that street came out with buckets of water and stopped the fire from spreading. In about an hour and a half the fire of the shop was extinguished. I looked outside and saw that Sultan, Police Hawaldar with two other constables was with the mob. Then I went to the inside compound on the back lane. My mother, my children and some neighbours collected there. The next door neighbours advised us to send our children and women to their houses and they took them along with them.

I along with my sons and my mother remained in the compound and kept awake the whole night. Whole night shouts and firing were heard from the Ashram side. Jogesh Sharma (Papoo) was speaking on loudspeakers to close all the streets from all sides. He was shouting that the Sikhs had mixed poison in water and all should first go to Ashram and finish the Sikh residents of Ashram. The whole night sounds were coming.

2. On 2-11-84 at about 8 AM a huge mob collected there. Sharma loudly spoke "Loot all Sikhs houses and kill them." Atma Singh's house was looted and then they entered Attar Singh's house in which Balbir Singh was residing.

After looting that house when they tried to set that on fire, I and residents of the street came out and requested the mob not to burn our houses because that way their houses would also be burnt. They then turned the mob towards the road side.

The mob then started looting the house of Pritam Singh Dhir and other neighbouring houses. In the meantime Military force came and the mob disappeared into the bye-lanes. In the evening when we saw that the military was patrolling, I came out and requested the soldiers to send us to the Gurdwara. They took us there. After remaining there for a few days when we came back to our houses, Sharma and Jain shouted at us "Have you come back again."

Feeling insecure I went to the police station and lodged a report but no policeman came to enquire about the matter. Being afraid I again came back to Gurdwara cmap. We returned home by first week of December, 1984. On 16-12-1984 at 6:00 AM some policemen from the Chowki came to tell me that the in-charge of the police chowki had called me for some work.

I went with them to the Chowki wherefrom the Chowki-in-charge took me on his motorcycle to Shree Niwaspuri Police Station. I was asked to sit in the SHO's room where some other persons were already sitting. Then they asked me whether I was the President of the Sabha and the Relief Camp? Then I asked what sort of meeting I had held, how much arms I had collected and what was our programme to take revenge for what was done to us.

I was terribly harassed and my photos were also taken. When my family members and members of our Relief Committee came to know of it, they reached the police station. On their insistence and persuasions, I was released at 9:30 PM. I was again summoned in the morning. Then on the third day I was called to the police headquarters and harassed.

I am a heart-patient and when I sent a medical certificate through my son, they started harassing him. Naresh Jain, Suresh Jain and Sharma are still threatening me to teach me a lesson because I had reported their names.

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