1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Affidavits

Affidavit submitted before the Misra Commission

AFFIDAVIT OF RADHA KUMAR, D/O L. KUMAR, AGED 32 YEARS, PRESENTLY RESIDING AT 33, ANAND LOK, NEW DELHI-110049.

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

1. That I was a volunteer of the Nagrik Ekta Manch and worked in Shakarpur Camp from November, 1984 to February, 1985. Following is an account of what I saw and what I heard.

That I saw: -

On the 1st November, 1984 I participated in a demonstration which started from Lajpat Bhawan and went to Lajpat Nagar to the Main Market. We saw one burnt down Gurdwara and several mobs waiving Trishuls, swords and iron rods. In the main market we saw many shops that had been burnt and there was glass from shattered windows all over the road as well as broken bottles which must have been used by the mob.

On 2nd November, 1984 I participated in a peace march which went from Lajpat Bhawan, through Bhogal and Ashram and then back to Moolchand Hospital. A crowd threatened us at Bhogal, shouting "Khoon Ka Badla Khoon" and "Congress-I Zindabad, Indira Gandhi Amar Rahe". In Ashram we were told by several gangs whom we cannot identify that we should not intervene where not wanted, and that they would manage whatever problems there were. They also denied that there was any trouble there, though we could see houses burning.

On the 3rd November, 1984 we went to Trilokpuri because news of the carnage there had filtered out and we heard that Swami Agnivesh had gone on hunger strike there. On arriving we found that a relief camp had already been set up by volunteers and we were not needed. Some of the refugees asked us to go to Shakarpur and Gandhinagar for they had heard that there was no one doing relief there.

We went to Shakarpur Police Station around 5 PM. There was a crowd of about 50-70 men outside the police station and as we went in they started saying that we had come to arm the Sikhs. Inside the police station we found about 150 Sikhs who had taken refuge there from the 31st October evening and had been there for two days without medical aid or food. Doctors who were with us administered basic medical aid.

We asked the SHO, Jai Singh, what arrangements were being made for these refugees and for Sikhs who were hiding in there or neighbour's houses. He said that there were no arrangements and the situation was under control. When further pressed he said he had not been able to get through to HQ for orders. Two of our volunteers recognised him as the accused in a torture case in Tihar Jail in 1982-83.

In the evening we contacted Surender Mohan and Madhu Dandavate, who promised to press for police and army rescue work in Shakarpur. But when we went to Shakarpur on the 4th morning we found that situation was exactly the same and no relief work was being done. We made frantic phone calls to influential individuals, including Ramesh Thapar and some 2-3 hours later a CRPF contingent arrived at Shakarpur Police Station in DTC bus.

By this time we had collected names and addresses of the Sikh families to be rescued from the refugees, but were told that Police permission would be needed before the CRPF would go to these areas. We only got permission at 6 PM because the SHO would not take responsibility himself and he could not get through the HQ. Eventually half the CRPF contingent escorted us and we went from area to area evacuating people, whom we brought back to the police station by around 9 P.M.

Meanwhile, those of our volunteers who had stayed behind encountered many problems. ACP Malhotra came to the Police Station and was very angry to find volunteers doing relief work there. He said, "I do not want doctors in my police Station." After he left the SI's and SHO started harassing volunteers, saying that the refugees would have to leave because there was no room in the police station for them and police work was being disrupted by their presence. Two of our volunteers went to see the ADM of the area, whom they knew personally and finally persuaded him to phone the Shakarpur Police Station and tell them to open the Govt. Secondary School for refugees.

When we came back with 2 bus loads of refugees we found that refugees had been moved from the Police Station to the School so we also went there. We found around 500-600 people in the school compound, but the buildings were locked and the chowkidars refused to open it without written permission from the Headmaster. At around 10.30 PM we managed to get the main doors opened, but the school rooms were kept locked so refugees spent that night in the corridors. The next morning the school rooms were opened aftera vist by Chandrasekhar and Surendera Mohan. We got blankets and clothes for the refugees from the Nagrik Ekta Manch and food was sent for the first day by the Gandhinagar Gurdwara. After that a langar was organised in our camp.

On the 6th November our camp was reorganised by the Government and the Delhi Administration moved in. On the 9th/10th November we were told that the house of one of the refugees in our camp, which in Guru Angad Nagar, was being burnt for the third time. We immediately went to the Army Camp in Gandhinagar and requested that some of them accompanying us to the house. We went with some armymen in any army vehicle to the area; it took us half an hour to find the house because no one would tell us where it was.

When we got to the house we found some mattresses smouldering in the compound. The house itself was not on fire but the rooms were badly blackened and had clearly been burnt earlier. Some minutes later, the police arrived. One of them took me aside and said,"Don't you think the Sikh family who lived there must have set fire to it themselves? Many Sikhs have done so, so that they can claim insurance." I told him that was non-sense, since no one paid insurance for property damaged during riots, but he repeated his statement to the crowd and to the army men with us.

What I have heard;

Appended is a list of names of members of the mob who went around Shakarpur, Guru Angad Nagar and Lakshminagar. The names were given to us by people in our camp as well as in the neighbourhood. Some of these witnesses filed FIR's in various police stations, copies of some of which are also appended:

1. Shyam Singh Tyagi School Block Congress-I, Property dealer said to illegally occupy plots and sell them

2. Tilak Raj Shakarpur Village – Congress-I.

3. Ameera Singh Bihari.

4. Ameera's brother Rajender

5. Ameera's servant, who has taken the loot back to Ameera's village.

6. Ram Khilawan, Nehru Enclave, Shakarpur.

7. Ram's brother, Basu Khilavan

8. Balmiki

9. Balmiki's brother, khilawan

10. Arjun.

11. Arjun's servant.

12-15. Banarsi and his 3 sons.

16-19. Pujari Nehru Enclave, Shakarpur & his 3 sons.

20. Tejpal Gupta S-507 School Block.

21. Joginder, his servant Nehru Enclave Jhuggi Jopadi.

22. Girgu, S 506 School

23-25. His brother in law, son in law Kailash and grandson.

26-27. Naresh and his brother.

28. Arjun, Nehru Enclave, Jhuggi Jhopadi.

29-30. Madan and Shankar School Block, Narad's sons.

34.
Ramesh Chauhan.

34-36. Doomha Bihari and his son and nephew

34-36. Harson Singh Bihari and his son School Block.

37. Haroon's Camrade Inderdev

38. Ram Jatan.

39. Lambu Niari Nehru Enclave, Shakarpur.

40. Shanti Swaroop Jain

41. Sharda Prasad Shukla, Pan Wala, Shop on old Shankar Road.

42. Jugnu S-508, School Block

43. Kallu Nai, who works Baba Balaknath Mandir.

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