1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Statements

Statement submitted before the Nanavati Commission

Witness No. 140

Name : Vijay Kumar Malhotra

Age :

Occupation : Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha

Address : 6, Dr. Bishambar Dass Road, New Delhi.

On SA

On 1.11.1984, I had gone to the Old Delhi Railway Station to receive my wife. On that day the train had come late. When it arrived, I had seen one Sikh standing near the door of the compartment and was shouting that even though he and other Sikhs had done something for the country and were serving in the military at borders, his family was killed in a brutal manner near Shahdara.

The mob had stopped the train there and had looked for the Sikhs who were in the train and had killed them one after the other. My wife also narrated to me how the mob had forcibly entered in the compartment and after finding Sikh passengers how they were killed. I was also informed by my wife that some persons also carried Congress Flags and were shouting "Khoon – Ka – Badla – Kooon – Se – Lenge".

Soon after I returned from the station, I went to the B.J.P. Party Office at Ashoka Road as there was a meeting at 11.00 am There I informed Vajpayee, L.K. Advani and other leaders about what I had heard at the railway station about the incident which had taken place at Shahdara. We had then decided to go and met Narasimha Rao who was the then Home Minister.

While Vajpayee, Advani and others went to meet him, I decided to go to see the President of India and apprise him about what was happening. I met the President and informed him about the incidents. He told me that he was helpless and whatever is required to be done may be done by the members of my party. I then returned to the B.J.P. Office. Vajpayee, Advani and others also returned after meeting Narasimha Rao.

I came to know from them that they had requested the Home Minister to seek the help of Army and take other appropriate steps for preventing the violence. Narasimha Rao had told them that he was looking into the matter and that he would take appropriate steps. When Vajpayee and others met him, they were not sure about the steps that were promised to be taken by him so they told me and others to convey to all the party members that they should be ready to defend the Sikhs and their properties wherever required.

During those days, I was one of the Secretary (In charge of Delhi and Northern India) of the BJP. On the night of 1.11.84, I had visited various localities and met Sikhs who had gathered in Gurdwaras and other places and had attempted to set up camps for them. On 2nd and 3rd November, 1984, I had visited various camps which were set up in the Gurdwaras and other places by various organizations including the BJP. There I was told by the victims as to how they were attacked or harassed by the mobs and how their properties were marked and then looted and burnt.

Just opposite my house a Sikh family was staying. He was a Senior IAS Officer. The mobs had taken various rounds near that place and had marked it for attacking but because of security at our and nearby places they were saved. For two days that family had taken shelter in my house. As we were helping the Sikhs, the Congress leaders used to tell the mob that the BJP people are protecting the Sikhs even though they were responsible for terrorism in Punjab and for the death of Indira Gandhi. It was because of such propaganda that we lost all the seats in the election which had followed after a month.

It was officially announced that in all 300 Sikhs were killed during anti – Sikh riots. Later on this figure was revised to 350. Bajpayee had told me and other leaders of the BJP to ascertain the correct number of Sikhs killed in Delhi during those days. We had moved around the city and collected the information and it was found that about 2800 Sikhs have been killed. We had also come to know that possibly more Sikhs were killed and no information was available regarding that.

On the next day, after we had collected the information, Mr Vajpayee had made a public statement regarding the correct number of deaths that had taken place in Delhi. After this public statement was made, whenever we use to visit various localities, we were told by Congress leaders that what we were doing was anti – national and that disclosing that such a large number of Sikhs were killed would create a bad impression in the world outside India.

I had brought to the notice of Vajpayee the propaganda which was being made by the Congress people. He told me that he was aware of the consequences and the damage caused to the interests of the BJP but he told us to continue the work of relief which we were doing irrespective of the consequences as it was in the national interest and a humanitarian act and that posterity will judge us for our acts.

Right from 31st October, 1984 night, we used to contact the Lt. Governor Mr Gavai and Additional Police Commissioner Mr H.C. Jatav and requested them to take prompt steps to check violence. They use to tell us that whatever was possible was being done by them as they were required to deal with huge crowd. They also told us that this violence could be checked if the army was called. The mobs were roaming freely during those three – four days and the police had acted as spectators.

On 2nd and 3rd Novmber, 1984 I had visited Palam area and had noticed that two or three dead bodies were lying there with burning tyres around their neck. The dead bodies were lying there since about two days and nobody had removed them. We were also confronted by the mobs whenever we had tried to render some help – One such incident had happened at Sant Nagar when our workers were trying to protect the Sikhs who were being attacked.

The mobs had threatened our workers but our workers were able to chase away that mob. During those days I used to receive telephone calls from the President of India with a request to help those persons from whom he had received telephone calls for help. He used to inform our other party members also to render the help. We used to send our workers to those places to help those persons.

No cross examination by S.S. Gandhi, Senior Advocate on behalf of Delhi Police

No Cross examination by Ashok Kashyap, Advocate on behalf of Central Government

Read over and found correct.

(Vijay Kumar Malhotra) (G.T. Nanavati)

10th January, 2002

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