1984 Sikh Genocide A Failure of Indian Democratic Institutions
In 2009, Late Sardar Jarnail Singh, a journalist, rose to fame when, in righteous indignation, he threw a shoe towards the then Home Minister, P Chidambaram. He wrote his famous book, I ACCUSE&hellipAnti Sikh Violence of 1984. Later that year, I interviewed him during a local radio programme in Southall, UK and also reviewed his book (see link at footnote**).
The question uppermost in my mind as I finished reading the book was: How can all checks and safeguards of a democracy fail so completely at the same time in the capital city of the largest democracy in the world? Or, to quote the book cover note, Why did the state apparatus allow it to happen? The guardians of the constitution: the President, the Parliament, different branches of the administration, the judiciary, the media &ndash all abdicated their responsibility for three days from 1 November to 3 November 1984. Then this fire of hatred was extinguished with the same efficiency as it had been started as the world media arrived for the funeral of Indira Gandhi.
Memoirs of BD Pande, the Governor of Punjab from October 10, 1983, to June 27, 1984, published with the title: In the Service of Free India, blamed Indira Gandhi for Operation Bluestar in June 1984. Pande showed that the Sikhs were victims of a false narrative and the biased Hindutva press. He claimed that the Centre was adamant on harsh measures. The whole Indian system had turned against the most loyal citizens of India, the Sikhs.
The President of India, Giani Zail Singh, felt that he had no right to intervene Delhi Police Commissioner Subhash Tandon said that he was not informed even though he was seen with crowds attacking Gurdwara Rakab Ganj. Home Minister Narsimha Rao remained silent. Lt Governor P G Gavai thought everything was under control and did not consider it necessary to call in the army. A magistrate refused to sign an order to control mobs with force if necessary, even as Sikh properties and people were being burnt in his neighbourhood.
Senior Congress politicians like Rajpal Saroj held private meetings on the evening of 31 October to make all arrangements right up to the finer details about distributing kerosene and a white inflammable powder to set the victims alight. Delhi transport and Police support was enlisted.
Doordarshan, the only TV station, played its part by repeatedly showing the body of Indira Gandhi kept in state at Teen Murti Bhawan, alternating with scenes of mobs shouting khoon ka badla khoon (blood for blood in revenge).
The main media focus on 31st November 1984, was the assassination of Indira Gandhi. She had sanctioned army invasion of Darbar Sahib, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs only five months before. In effect, this was an invasion by the Indian Army of the Indian State of Panjab regarded as the Sikh homeland. Thousands of innocent civilians were killed in peacetime. Extra-judicial killings of Sikh youth followed in the next ten years.
From a Sikh perspective, successive Indian governments have been manipulating and exploiting Sikh grievances rather than resolving them. Unchecked extreme Brahmanic Hindutva nationalism predates and fuels freedom movements which can divide India.
For the Sikhs, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution of 1973, can be a basis for a process leading to conciliation. Otherwise, justice, delayed and denied, continues to cause deep hurt to the global Sikh community.
** I Accuse&hellipBook review:
https://www.sikhmissionarysociety.org/sms/smsresourcecentre/products/jarnailsinghjournalist/antisikhviolenceof1984/
Gurmukh Singh OBE
Principal Civil Servant retd (UK)