1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Affidavits

Affidavit submitted before the Nanavati Commission

I, Patwant Singh, S/o Late S. Manohar Singh aged 75 yrs., R/o 11, Amrita Sher Gil Marg, New Delhi, do hereby solemnly affirm and declare as under:-

1. That on 31st Oct.'84, I was in bed with fever. When I heard the news of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, pm being shot by her bodyguards. I requested Lt.Gen. J.S. Arora, (Retd.), S. Gurbachan Singh Ex. Ambassador, Air Chief Marshall Arjan Singh Ex. Chief of Air Staff and Brig. Sukhjit Singh (Retd.) to meet me to discuss the current situation. We accordingly met at 3:30 in the afternoon at my house.

2. That after discussion we issued the following statement:-

"No society, least of all a society like ours with its long traditions of spiritualism, scholarship and humanism, can allow black deeds of murderous folly to destroy its civilized fabric. We condemn in unequivocal terms the dastardly attempt on the life of the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, to which the she tragically fell victim."

"We consider such an act, and what it is likely to trigger off, a grave threat to the country's integrity and unity…. We condemn in the harshest possible terms all those who feel that co-existence between the communities is not possible, or who will use such occasions of tragedy and national trauma to sow further the seeds of communal hatred…."

3. That at 6:30 on 31st Oct.'84, Lt. Gen. Arora (Retd.), Air Chief Marshall Arjan Singh (Retd.), S. Gurbachan Singh and Brig. Sukhjit Singh (Retd.) left my house but returned within 15 minutes when they saw rampaging mobs burning taxis belonging to Sikhs and attacking Sikhs on sight.

4. That fearing that violence may spread, we agreed to call on Giani Zail Singh, President of India, the next day.

5. That Air Chief Marshall Arjan Singh (Retd.), Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Arora (Retd.), Brig. Sukhjit Singh (Retd.), S. Gurbachan Singh and I called on the President of India in the morning of 1st Nov.'84. We spent one hour with the President and told him that numerous Sikhs were being killed all over the capital, emphatically spelling out for him the violence which was overtaking the Sikhs throughout the city.

We made clear that he as the President was morally and constitutionally bound to put an end to it. He replied, "I do not have powers to intervene." I was stunned by this astounding remark. I said, "Mr. President, you mean to tell us that if the nation is going up in flames and people are being butchered in the streets, you have no power to stop the anarchy and bloodshed." The President of India kept silent.

6. That we insisted the President should speak forcefully to the new Prime Minister to put an end to the barbaric acts which were taking place outside. Giani Zail Singh, the President of India replied, " I will do so in three or four days time. I want to give him some time."

7. That I said to the President, "Blood is being spilt on the streets and you want three or four days to talk to the Prime Minister." He relented and said he would have a word with him that afternoon but I believe he did not.

8. That we told him to go on the air and use radio and television and make a stirring plea for sanity and balance. He did not make any plea on the radio or television.

9. That when Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Arora and I inquired whether the army would be called to restore order, Giani Zail Singh, the President of India said, "I am not in contact with the Home Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. I suggest you (Lt.Gen. Arora) talk to him."

10. That we suggested to the President of India that he should forcefully speak to the State Chief Ministers who had arrived in Delhi. He listened but took no action.

11. That we told the President that whilst we were talking with him, crowds everywhere were whipping up frenzy with slogans "Khoon Ka Badla Khoon". We pleaded with him that he should get the police to put an end to this. No action was taken by him.

12. That I returned home to find an urgent message from Sh. I.K. Gujral, an old friend, asking me to ring him back, which I did. Mr. Gujral told me not to send Jagjit (Gen. Aurora) back to his house because there was chaos on the street and no Sikh was safe on then. He said he was coming over to workout a plan of action.

13. That over lunch that day Gujral, Aurora and I decided to go and see the Home Minister who in the Union Cabinet is in charge of police in Delhi, being a Union Territory and the maintenance of law and order as well as the intelligence agencies fall under him.

14. That we reached at Home Minister's house at about 3 pm We were surprised to see that there was absolutely no activity at the Home Minister's house. The Home Minister, Mr. P.V. Narsimha Rao was looking impassive and seemingly without a care.

The atmosphere at the Home Minister's house did not show at all that there were any crisis in the country and in the very capital around the Home Minister's own house. When we asked whether Army was being called he replied, "It will be here in the evening." When asked by Lt. Gen. Aurora, "How is it being deployed," Home Minister replied, "The Area Commander will meet the Lt. Governor for this purpose."

Lt. Gen. Aurora suggested that a joint Control Room be set to coordinate the police and army as was done during the British Rule in 1947, for the Viceroy to monitor to the situation. Similarly Mr. Rao should monitor events from hour to hour. The Home Minister replied that we will see when the army arrives. The approach of the Home Minister was so casual that it clearly given an impression that he is totally unconcerned.

All the arrangement including the setting up of the control room were supposed to be done before the army arrives. It is noteworthy that Army Chief as well as G.O.C. of Delhi were very much in the city but Home Minister did not make any attempt to make any plan and discuss the situation to control the violence. This casual approach of the Home Minister appears to be not only a gross negligence but a connivance with the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

15. That after the meeting we knew it that even if army arrives in the city it will not be made effective. Our fears turned out to be correct. Army was not made effective till 3rd Nov.'84. The murderous mobs were given free hand for 3 days.

16. That after the meeting Gen. Aurora went with Sh. I.K. Gujral and spent the night with him. It's a matter of great ashamed for the country. That the Hero of 1971 War before whom 91,000 Pakistani troops surrendered, could not sleep in his own house in the Capital of the country.

17. That on the evening of 6th Nov.'84, Brig. Sukhjit Singh (Retd.) and I went to see the President of India to seek his intervention to bring the criminals to book and seek help for the victims.

18. That on 10th Nov.'84, S. Gurbachan Singh, Ex. Ambassador and I met P.V. Narsimha Rao, Home Minister for his help to bring the criminals to book and seek help for victims. The approach of Home Minister was again very lukewarm. He said law will take its own course. But the law was not permitted to take its own course and was deliberately scuttled at every stage at the instance of people in power.

19. That despite all our aforesaid efforts and the pains we took to drive home the enormity of the tragedy which was unfolding before our eyes to those whose constitutional and moral responsibility it was to protect the life and property of the nation's citizens, these men did nothing, and thereby connived at the killing of thousands of innocent Sikhs. Many of their party-men, ministerial colleagues and fellow parliamentarians actually instigated the mobs to kill Sikh men, women and children.

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