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I Swear on Oath, (Actually, I should swear
on you)
 Affidavit of Shanti Bhushan
I
learnt of the assassination of Indira Gandhi (while at) the Supreme
Court on 31-10-1984. On 1-11-84, I went to the office of the
Bhartiya Janta Party at Ashoka Road, New Delhi. On reaching there, I
came to know of the reports about Sikhs being massacred in different
places of Delhi. Reports to this effect were being constantly
received not only from different areas in Delhi but also from other
places in the country as well. Feeling very concerned about these
happenings, I decided to go to Narsimha Rao, the then Home Minister,
who was personally known to me, to apprise him of these events and
to request him to take immediate steps to have these incidents
stopped. I met Shri Narsimha Rao at his residence on 1-11-1984 and
apprised him of the reports which had been received. He confirmed
the said reports. I got the impression that while he was ... not
proving / being effective. Shiv Shanker (whom I met) was more
communicative (but was) unhappy at the events and ... was even
contemplating his resignation.
Having seen kind of brutal things that were happening on the 2nd
November, I got the distinct impression that the Police was not
making any serious attempt at stopping the miscreants from indulging
in mass killings, arson, looting etc.
(W)hen
I watched the T.V. broadcast of the place where Mrs. Gandhi’s body
was lying in state to enable members of the public pay their respect
to the departed leader, I also heard slogan on the T.V. “KHOON KA
BADLA KHOON SE LENGE”. When these slogans were being shouted, I
noted that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was present at that place and
was bound to have heard these slogans.
I
also remember that Rajiv Gandhi had also said in his public speech a
few days after the violence that when a big tree falls, the earth
does shake. It seemed to me that Rajiv Gandhi was describing the
massacre of the Sikhs as the shaking of the earth.
It
was my distinct impression that in as much as the Hindu groups /
mobs who were indulging in acts of riot, arson and murder were not
themselves armed with firearms, it should not have been difficult to
stop these acts if the armed police really intended to stop them.
The impression that I formed from all the events narrated above was
that there were perhaps some instructions from the top not to stop
these things for two or three days so that the Sikh community would
learn a lesson, and that this must have been the reason for the Home
Minister and Law Minister not being able to do anything and feeling
helpless.
That it is my firm conviction that these incidents could not have
happened without some people organizing them, arranging for the mob
and distributing kerosene and other inflammable material to them in
an organized manner with the connivance of the State machinery. If
the State machinery really wanted to stop these incidents, they had
sufficient means to stop them by opening fire at a couple of places
on the first day itself when the violence erupted. Such incidents of
unprecedented violence, in my view, cannot continue for three days
without the connivance of the State machinery.
 Affidavit of Madhu Kishwar, editor of India's foremost women's
rights magazine 'Manushi'
(I)n
Oct./Nov.`84, when a politically engineered massacre of the Sikhs
was carried out in Delhi and several other parts of the country,
during which their properties worth thousands of crores were
systematically looted and burnt, I was in Delhi...I visited some of
the worst affected areas, saw the carnage at first hand,
photographed the destruction and tape recorded several first hand
accounts of atrocities committed on the Sikh community. I also
personally witnessed some parts of the carnage, and even tried
unsuccessfully to stop the mobsters from burning the local gurudwara
in the Lajpat Nagar area of Delhi where I reside....I visited
Trilokpuri where the worst carnage took place, Kalyanpuri,
Mangolpuri, Palam Village, Relief Camps, police stations and several
other middle class localities to collect a comprehensive account of
what happened during those days of national shame.
...I personally interviewed several men and women who were subjected
to heinous crimes, including gang rapes. I personally recorded their
statements and interviews and published them in Manushi....(T)he
numerous victims I interviewed gave graphic accounts of the
atrocities committed on their husbands, their young sons and
brothers, which they were compelled to witness before being sexually
assaulted in full public view. Most of them saw their loved ones
attacked, grievously wounded, and burnt whilst still alive. In some
cases, their men folk were roasted alive, with burning tyres put
around their necks by the miscreants....(T)he police did not record
the names of the political big wigs and known prominent accused by
blatantly refusing to register FIRs in accordance with law. Even in
my own neighbourhood, I saw the police look away indifferently while
gangsters went on a looting and burning spree.
(T)
the rampaging mobs...were laughing away and enjoying their looting
and burning spree. They jeered, abused and made all kinds of obscene
gestures while they went on a rampage. Watching them, one saw no
evidence or sign of any sadness or grief whatsoever.
(All these years later) a large number of the culprits have been let
off due to complicity and willful lapses on the part of the police
and investigating agencies...Like many others, I am convinced that
the police and investigating agencies were under orders from
high-ups to block all avenues of justice for the victims.
 Smt. Jaya Jaitley, Samta Party
Either on 1st November, 1984 or 2nd November, 1984 I and Mr. Madhu
Dandavate had gone to Arun Nehru’s place as he was one of the
Ministers in the Government. We were not allowed entry into the
house and we stood near the gate. Mr. Arun Nehru came near the gate
and we told him to call the army and to take other appropriate steps
to curb the violence. He stated that he was taking necessary steps
and after saying one or two sentences he went inside.
Very probably on 5.11.1984, I had gone to Trilokpuri and at that
time I found burning tyres were placed around the necks of victims
and that is how they had been burnt and their flesh were lying on
the ground. The dog was trying to dig that out. We also saw cut hair
lying in the houses and on the roads.
…On
the night of 3.11.1984 or 4.11.1984 when I was at Farash Bazar Camp
I noticed sudden of tension there. Everyone in the camp gathered
together because H.K.L.Bhagat had come to the camp. The persons in
the camp stated that he should not be allowed in the camp as he was
the person responsible for what had happened and they closed the
doors of the camp. In most (of the submitted) affidavits name of
Congress Pradhan Ram Pal Sarooj of Trilokpuri was mentioned.
 Shri Ram Jethmalani, Lawyer
On
31st October, 1984 I was in Delhi and I had returned from USA on
that morning….That day in the evening we (met) Home Minister
Narasimha Rao…I told him about the incidents of fire and killings
taking place in the city and requested him to take immediate steps
and detailed some of them and also suggested that curfew may be
imposed army may be called and all party meeting may be called etc.
To all the suggestions Shri Rao was indifferent. … By the next day I
formed an impression that the police was inactive and therefore I
decided to collect few lawyers and go with them to various
localities where the violence was took place so as to bring
confidence among the peoples…In all 40-50 lawyers in robes in the
trans-Yamuna area two localities Laxminagar and Kalyan Puri. The
secene in those localities was very tragic we noticed many dead
bodies were seen on the roads. The vehicles were also on fire.
…I
do know what slogans were being shouted by the crowd but on
television the slogans shouted by the crowd could be heard as ‘KHOON
KA BADLA KHOON SE LENGA’. I can say that the crowds which we have
seen was hostile menacing crowd. They were no conspicuous presence
of police in those localities.
31
October,
2007
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