1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Affidavits

Affidavit submitted before the Nanavati Commission

I, Khushwant Singh S/o Sardar Bahadur Sir Sobha Singh R/o E-49, Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi, do hereby solemnly affirm and declare as under:

1. That on 31st evening I saw some smoke coming out from a distance. I was told that some shops belonging to Sikhs have been set on fire.

2. That the same evening Mr. M.J.Akbar came to my house for dinner. I heard some noise outside on the main road and I went out to check. I saw about 20-25 policemen standing on the road and the mob was looting shops belonging to Sikhs at Khan Market. The policemen were not taking action at all. The policemen did not make any attempt to stop them or disperse them.

3. That after some time the mob burnt the taxi stand on the main road.

4. That around mid-night the Gurdwara behind my house was attacked. Thereafter mob burnt cars sent for repairs to Sukhwant Singh, a Mechanic. Some of the cars did not belong to Sikhs.

5. That on 1st morning I received a call from many friends to be careful. They apprehended that since I have been very vocal criticizing "Operation Blue Star" and also returned the Padma Bhushan awarded to me, in protest against "Operation Blue Star," therefore, I may be the target of attack by enraged mobs.

6. That after sometime my son-in-law came to my house to take me away. Before leaving I called up Giani Zail Singh, the then President of India. Giani Zail Singh did not come on the line but his Secretary informed that Gianiji has asked him to convey to me that I should move to the house of some Hindu friend.

7. That soon thereafter one car came from Swedish Embassy and Mr. R. Gauffin who came in this introduced himself as No.2 in the Swedish Embassy. He told me that Mr. Romesh Thapar has asked him to evacuate me to the Embassy. I also learnt that Mr. Romesh Thapar had taken my mother to his house.

8. I went with Mr. Gauffin to the Swedish Embassy and stayed there for 2 nights.

9. That I and millions of other Sikhs lived the life of refugees in our own country.

10. That when the Central Government appointed Misra Commission of Enquiry, headed by the then sitting Judge of Supreme Court of India Justice Rangnath Misra, a young lawyer Mr. H.S. Phoolka (who is now Senior Advocate) came to me and suggested that we should form an umbrella organization of all Human Rights Groups to represent the cases of the victims before the Commission.

I liked his idea and I took initiative to call the meeting. I spoke to Mr. Soli Sorabjee, the eminent lawyer and my close friend. Mr. Soli Sorabjee took keen interest in the formation of this group, which we named as Citizens' Justice Committee (CJC) and Justice S.M. Sikri, the former Chief Justice of India took over as the President of this Group.

11. CJC represented the case of the victims before the Misra Commission and various Courts.

 

 

 

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