The conviction of Congress leader, Sajjan Kumar, by the Delhi High Court, in connection with the gruesome killing of Sikhs in the aftermath of the brutal assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards in 1984, has once again brought to focus the most deplorable riots since Independence. Although the judges, who overturned the trial court’s order, acquitting Sajjan Kumar, also pointed to the political patronage the perpetrators of such incidents have received over a period of time, including the equally macabre slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, yet in the blame-game that followed, the Congress was at the receiving end.
In a well orchestrated attack on the Congress, senior BJP and Akali Dal leaders, spared no effort to accuse the grand old party of masterminding the anti-Sikh riots; not even pausing to look inwards so as to examine their own role in fuelling the tension from the time when the first killings took place at Mehta Chowk on the Baisakhi day, in 1978, following a clash between the Akalis and Nirankaris.
It goes without question that persons behind the 1984 carnage should be brought to book and punished. However, it is definitely important to follow and understand the events that resulted in the Prime Minister being gunned down in the most savage manner by those who should have protected her with their lives and the consequent barbaric mayhem.
The Akalis, who were in power in the late 1970s, were unable to rein in militant elements, particularly from the Damdami Taksal, which at the time was headed by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Fundamentalists had already begun raising the demand for a separate state of Khalistan. Bhindranwale, to begin with, was propped up by the Congress to embarrass the Akalis, but in no time, he went out of their control. There was a complete breakdown of law and order, resulting in the wanton killings of the Nirankaris.
Subsequently, other targeted executions followed, and amongst those who were in cold blood shot dead were the Nirankari chief, Baba Gurbachan Singh in Delhi, in April 1980 and Lala Jagat Narain, head of the Hind Kesri group of newspapers near Jallandhar. The atmosphere in the state had become extremely surcharged and the slaying of Hindus for no rhyme or reason went on unchecked. Travellers were dragged down from buses and shot en masse just because they were from a different faith.
Bhindranwale had become the nucleus of all such elements who were indulging in mass murders and senseless extermination. He arrived in Delhi, with his armed supporters, in an attempt to mock the security agencies, but the Congress government at the Centre failed to take any action against him. He returned to Amritsar and made the precincts of the Golden Temple as his operational headquarters. All kinds of ultras and disgruntled elements, including General Shahbeg Singh, a cashiered Army officer, and Bhai Amrik Singh of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), joined him in his self made fortress. As early as January 1984, intelligence reports were streaming in, that militants were amassing a cache of arms and ammunition inside the temple complex, yet the government did not react.
In late May, Arun Nehru, who was a very influential figure in the Indira Gandhi government, compelled her to order Operation Blue Star that entailed raiding the holy Sikh shrine by the Indian Army to flush out the terrorists. In June, the armed forces, led by Lt General Sunderji, and Lt General R.S. Dayal, used excessive force to silence all resistance from inside, thus damaging the sacred Darbar Saheb and its adjoining buildings, including the Akal Takht with mortar fire.
Accusing the government of sacrilege, the Sikhs resolved to get even. That year, they did not celebrate Diwali and according to some reports, it was only after Indira Gandhi was riddled with bullets that some Sikhs expressed their jubilation by distributing sweets. This was enough provocation for unscrupulous elements in the Congress and amongst the majority community to turn their ire on Sikhs. For days together, there was no law and order in Delhi, with the police being completely demoralised for its inability to protect the PM, and more so because two of their own men had done away with her.
According to well-placed sources, Arun Nehru had instructed some of the junior Congress leaders “to teach them a lesson” and unfortunately, Rajiv Gandhi, subsequently tried to justify the genocide by his now infamous comment, “when a big tree falls, tremors occur on the earth”. Without a doubt, 1984 would go down as the darkest chapter in Indian history since Independence as is the continued denial of justice to thousands of families that were affected.
On one hand, the victims were left to fend for themselves, with the state machinery refusing to help them. On the other hand, the crores of rupees, which were sent from abroad by Sikh NRIs, were, in all probability, squandered by some of the organisations, which claimed to be working for their rehabilitation. It was evident that several of these self-styled good Samaritans thought that it was more rewardable to utilise these hapless victims, mostly widows, to further their politics, rather than facilitating a better quality of life for them. The state also failed in its duty.
After the verdict against Sajjan Kumar, there is a sense of closure amongst many Sikhs since he, in their perception, was one of the prominent faces of the riots. Only time will tell how things would unfold. Between us.