L E T T E R
1984 - Riots or Massacre?
D. Singh

June 8, 2003

According to the New Pocket Oxford Dictionary, the meanings are of :-

1. riot…....... a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.

2. riotous..... a. involving wild and uncontrolled behavior.
....................b. involving public disorder.

3.mayhem…. violent disorder.

4. slaughter….the killing of a large number of people in a cruel or
violent way.

5. massacre…a brutal slaughter of a large number of people.

Going by the above dictionary meanings, what followed after the
assassination of Indira Gandhi was indeed a riot since the incidents which
followed were definitely “a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.” In
this case the crowd or rather the mob were the non-Sikhs, in particular the
Hindu community. Whose peace was disturbed - that of the Sikhs.

Next comes riotous, indeed the situation was riotous in the sense that what the non-Sikh community did, “involved wild and uncontrolled behavior.”

What followed the assassination could be described as mayhemtoo, since
there was violent disorderfor about 5 days.

But reality is that what happened in 1984 was not just a riot, mayhem or
riotous but was much, much, much more than a mere riot or mayhem or being riotous!

Recall the partition days in 1947 which were of a purely riotous type and
terming it as riots or the Partition Riots was appropriate. What normally
happens in a riot - crowds of armed people attack each other, I repeat,
each other in an offensive way and the one with more manpower and might and arms come out alive. One group of people attack the other group and clashes take place on both sides with casualties too on both the warring sides. Besides, there is looting, damage to properties, rape and arson observed in a riot.

Now coming to 31st October to 4th November, 1984, the events which
followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi, were attacks by only one
side, i.e., by the Non-Sikh community, in particular the Hindus. So
definitely labeling it as only a riot would not do justice and in fact would
connote that even the Sikhs behaved in an equally frenzied manner like the
Non-Sikh attackers. But this was not the case! If the Sikhs fought back, it
was only to defend themselves, in saving their lives. Besides, the Sikhs
while defending their lives never resorted to looting, rapes or damage to
property. Whereas the attackers belonging to the majority community resorted to mass scale looting of houses and shops, rape of Sikh girls and women and arson and frenzied killing like putting tyres on the necks of the Sikh males and pouring kerosene and lighting it. And with what precision the
looters managed to reach the Sikh homes and establishments, definitely a
pre-planned scheme of the Congress leaders who worked in close co-ordination with the district and state and city level offices of the then Government in power.

Now the question arises - If 1984 happenings in Oct-Nov in India were not
just riots or mayhem, then what were they?

Was it a slaughter?

Innocent Sikh boys, men and elders were killed in large numbers in a cruel
or violent way, going by the definition of slaughter as mentioned above. In
fact the killings were so brutal that one can only describe the incidents as
a ‘massacre’ going by the definition as mentioned above. Let’s once again
ponder over the meaning of massacre : “a brutal slaughter of a large number
of people.”

Yes, indeed, 1984 was a massacre, so while describing or discussing
anything to do with the incidents like for example, the ongoing discussion
on : “Victims of the 1984 riot-victims…Five widows willing to immolate
themselve” should in fact be discussed as “Victims of the 1984 Massacre of Sikhs Five widows willing to immolate themselves.”

It is the press and the media which is responsible for labeling it wrongly. Was it upon the insistence of the Congress leaders in power? Definitely the photographers and the reporters who were covering the brutal killings must have seen the helplessness of the defending Sikhs and how could they do justice to their profession by terming it as riots when to the mute witnesses it was nothing short of a massacre.

It was the duty of the Akal Takhat and the S.G.P.C and the Akali Dal party
to have spoken boldly on this issue but it seemed that they too were
dumb-strucked and filled with so much fear in their hearts that their “bolti
band ho gayee” !

Yes, Amandeep is right in saying and correcting Sardar Pritpal Singh Ji, who
erroneously thought that I was discussing “Operation Bluestar." Pritpal Ji
is also right in labeling “Operation Bluestar” as a massacre which indeed it
was! It would be appropriate to rename it as “Operation Massacre”!

The purpose of raising this tragic heart-tearing topic of 1984 in the net
after nearly 18 ½ years is four-fold :

1. To give the correct label to it so that the reality be known to the future generations and the history books be accordingly rectified.

2. A long gap of 18 ½ years tends to make one go to sleep and in this sleep
one slackens and loosens the preparedness required to thwart such probable
attempts in the future seeing the changing democratic colors of India into
Hindutva politics by the B.J.P. backed R.S.S. So the purpose is to awaken from slumber the Sikhs and check if their houses are in order.

3. Correct labeling of the incidents would bring not only the Sikh masses
but also the Non-Sikh educated public into awareness and in this awareness
one’s willingness and eagerness to help those affected by the ''1984 Massacre of the Sikhs' would climax into actions and positive results.

4. To find out whether justice has been given to the massacred and the
surviving widows and children and to the Sikh community in general in the
sense that have the culprits been arrested and put to trial and has compensation been given to the survivors?

Yes, Dhanao Ji is right in saying that it was the media – hype which
fuelled the massacre to a great extent!

A newly born child before the ‘1984 Massacre of the Sikhs’ or the growing
child in the mother’s womb at that time would have be now around 18 to 20
years old and the newly-wed Sikh mothers who survived the attacks would be
in their late thirties or early forties.

Probable questions looming at large in each and every reader would be :

1. What is the economic and social condition of that grown-up child and the
widows like-wise?

2. Has the widow been able to provide reasonable education to the surviving
children ?

3. Has the widow become self-reliant and economically independent?

4. Has the children of the widows been absorbed into some profession or
business or calling?

The most prime question is: After the ‘1984 Massacre of the Sikhs’, was
a list of those families affected prepared city and town and village wise by
the Singh Sabhas and the S.G.P.C. and the local Gurdwara Committees?

If such a list was prepared , then we Sikhs have the right to demand the
list to be made public and whatever monetary compensations and help provided to them in the aftermath be also made known to all. This would help in providing transparency as to whether justice has been given to those
affected and accordingly different Sikh organizations as well as the local
Gurdwaras can plan out necessary plan of action and help required further in
this matter by those widows and surviving children.

As far as the city of Kolkata and suburbs was concerned, there were 10
deaths reported but I am unaware as to the fact whether anything was done
for the 10 affected families! Because at that time I was posted at Bombay
and I considered myself to be one of those lucky ones to have come out
unscathed in the aftermath of the assassination and that was all I thought
at that time. But now after 18 ½ years of surviving what could have been my
last days in November,1984, I realize God’s play in this since now I have
woken up to the glaring fact that what the hell are we Sikhs made up of ?

Is Chardi Kala a thing of the past?

Was fighting injustice only the prerogative of the Sikh gurus only?

Is Sarbat da Bhala only to be read in the ardas?

Is the martial character of the Sikhs dying?

Does not the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji ring the music of Human
rights and Sacrifice in one’s ears?

Yes, Karamjit Ji is right in saying, “ what exactly are we looking for?”

We Sikhs have to wake up to the fact that not much is going to be done by
the government in power because at one time or the other any leader now
belonging to any political party , once upon a time belonged to the Congress
and changed parties and so naturally with the culprits being the Congress
leaders at one time or the other, then to whom do we look for help or
support? If anything has to be done it has to be with the collective efforts
of the Sikh diaspora all over the world and this is where each and every one
of us has to work hand in hand.

What course of action can be taken up by us:

1. Those victimized children, who are not economically well placed, now
adults be provided with Scholarships to pursue higher professional
education whether in India or abroad.

2. Those victimized children, now adults, can be sponsored by the various
Sikh families who are well-off and economically better so that they can be
absorbed into some job or can be helped to settle down in some business or
profession.

3. The victimized widows can be similarly given economic support to stand up
on their own feet and become economically self-reliant so that they can live
in peace and honor and self-respect for the rest of their lives.

4. Arranging for the re-marriage of the widows, if possible.

5. Mandatory Martial Arts & Self-defense Training cum gymming exercising be imparted through the various Gurdwaras all over the world and all male and
female Sikhs be encouraged to go through this. Besides keeping our
generations physically fit, it would be a deterring life-risk factor to any
probable attacker daring to touch any Sikh.

Why I have chosen Gurdwaras is that we Sikhs already have the infrastructure available with us in the shape that land and buildings are readily available and all we have to do is provide with the latest gym equipment and trained instructors in Martial Arts. This will attract all the youngsters to the Gurdwaras and indirectly attendance and involvement of all shall take place which is the urgent need of the hour.

Did not Guru Hargobind Singh Ji start imparting fighting techniques to his
followers ? Why so? In order that when the need or occasion arises, every Sikh should be physically fit to defend himself/herself as well as defend others. The only difference one finds in comparison today is that latest equipment which one finds in gyms and exercise centers were lacking
in the times of the Gurus and were they available during our Gurus times,
then do you think our Gurus would not have adopted them?

6. Guru Gobind Singh Ji had enjoined his Sikhs to compulsorily wear kirpans
on their bodies in order to protect one’s own as well that of others in times of injustice meted out by the oppressors as well as for defending the freedom to follow one’s own religious belief.

All those killed or massacred during 1984, were they wearing kirpans? Did
they know that it was not just an accessory of the Sikh but it was a weapon
too which a Sikh can take the use of to defend one’s own life, if required?
Definitely to use the kirpan as a weapon of defense, the said kirpan on the
body of a Sikh should be sharp and razor like and not blunt making it
useless! This means that Sikhs have to regularly sharpen the kirpans and not
just keep on wearing it as a matter of habit.

Besides, the three foot kirpans one normally finds in the prayer-rooms of
the Sikhs where our Sri Guru Granth Sahib is kept. Were they in sufficient
numbers in the Sikh house-holds in the sense that one for every elder
member in the Sikh family was readily available?

Now the most important question is:

“How can the above first four points of action as mentioned above be arranged and provided for?”

I am unaware if a corpus has been created for this purpose or not!

If not, then a corpus be created say under the name of “1984 Massacre of
Sikhs Survivors’ Rehabilitation Foundation” with proper guidelines framed
and accordingly, upon receiving applications from those desirous to receive
aid be granted the same upon proper scrutiny and verifying the authenticity
of the applicant. The same can be disbursed through agencies created in the
main metropolitan cities of India working in close co-ordination.

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