1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Affidavits

Affidavit submitted before the Misra Commission

I, Gp. Capt. Manmohanbir Singh Talwar MVC (Retd.) s/o S. Kartar Singh, aged 54 yrs., r/o Bungalow No.9, West Patel Nagar, New Delhi, do hereby solemnly affirm and state as under: -

1. I am residing at Bangalow No.9 West Patel Nagar, New Delhi. This house is situated on the main road from Pusa crossing to Moti Nagar. The front portion of the house is being used as a garment show room, the back portion as our residence.

2. On 1st November, 1984 the Show Room was closed as a mark of respect to Indira Gandhi. At 9.30 hours a mob started attacking our house and show windows with stones. They broke the window panes, show windows and Neon Glow Signs. Some of them came inside our front lawn and tried to set fire to our house and shop. We extinguished the fire and removed inflamable material from the front bed room.

3. At about 10 am I along with my two sons and wife came out into our front lawn. I had my 12 bore licensed gun in my hand and my sons had hockey sticks. We did notfight with the mob but with folded hands requested them to leave our house. I explained to them that I was a retired Defence Services Officer. I had fought against Pakistan in 1971 war and I was awarded Mahavir Chakra. At this time our neighbour Mr. Duggal came and persuaded the mob to go away and asked us stay inside the houseso that we are not injured by stone being thrown at us.

4. At 11.30 hours, the mob set fire to a furniture shop opposite our house, then came to attack our house. They broke our shop shutter and tried to set it on fire. We extinguished the fire and our presence in the shop prevented the mob from looting. Though I had my 12 bore gun in my hand but I did not fire as I did not want to provoke the mob. Some of the gundas challenged me to fire at them, but I explained to them that I had no enmity with them and I will only if my own or my families life was in danger. Then we shouted slogans i.e. (Indira Gandhi Zindabad, Indira Gandhi Amar Rahe, Bharat Akhand Rahe). Our neighbours Mr. Duggal, Mr. Praveen Kumar Chadha, Mr. Kaul, Mr. Sanjay Kumar Singh and Mr. Jauni Chadha persuaded the mob to move away and started guarding our outer gate in turns.

5. At about 2.30 PM two DTC buses came from Pusa Crossing side and parked in front of our gate. Some gundas got out of the busses and started recollecting the mob. These people appeared to be well organized and equipped with rods and fire setting equipments. The mob kept throwing stones at our shop/house, even though our neighbours were requesting them not to do so. The mob kept shouting "Khoon ka Badla Khoon se Leinge." "Sikhnyan to Bahar Nikalo"

6. By 4 PM the mob had swelled to our to five thousand. They threatened our neighbours and hit Sanjay Kumar Singh on his hand with a stone. The mob broke the locks on the outer gates and a part of it started looting our shop, and the rest surrounded our house from all sides. We hid in the rear portion of the building hoping that the mob will loot the shop and move away.

7. At 16.15, the shop was set on fire and thick smoke was coming towards the house. Some gundas broke the rear varandah door and started attacking us with iron rods. I was in the front, I was hit on my face with an iron rod, one tooth broke and my lips were badly cut. I fired at this mob to save my and my family's life. I can produce the photo copy of the injury report given by Tihar Jail.

8. The mob ran out of our house but kept surrounding us from all sides. Some people in the mob dressed in Khaki clothes kept hiding in the mob and firing at us with rifles and revolvers. They also climbed up on the neighbours roofs and started throwing fire balls at our house. They set our Barsati on fire. This attack continued upto about 19.30 hours. During this period whenever the crowd tried to enter our premises I used to fire in the air and crowd used to run out. As long as the crowd stayed outside our boundary wall I did not even in the air. At approximately 20.30 hours, some police personnel announced on loudspeakers from the front road and asked us to surrender and promised to protect my family and property. I surrendered to the police along with my gun, sixty rounds of ammunition. Now the police have instituted a false case of murder against me instead of taking any action against the mob. Even though I informed the police that I was a retired High Ranking Defence Services officer and MA in Education, they kept me 'C' class in Tihar Jail. They even confiscated my Identity Card which I showed to them.

9. The photocopies of FIR lodged by my wife and the damage report submitted by my wife and mother and the photocopy of the injury report from Tihar Jail can be supplied whenever required.

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