Images: from Haryana.
1984
More Mass Graves & Burnt Down Gurdwaras Identified in India
by JAIDEEP SINGH MANDER
The All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), National 1984
Victims Justice & Welfare Society and Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), in a
startling revelation, have claimed to have found a mass grave of 65 Sikhs burnt
alive in Delhi in 1984.
This was revealed by
the representatives of the three organizations in a press conference
in Chandigarh, Punjab.
A mass grave of Sikhs killed in November 1984 has been discovered after 26 years at a gurdwara in 22 Block, Nagloi, No. 1, Delhi where more than sixty-five (65) Sikhs alongwith the Granthi and Guru Granth Sahib were burnt alive in November 1984.
The site where
Sikhs were burnt alive and killed is located in front of Gurudwara
Udaseen Taran Asharm.
The Sikh organizations
also released a list of 49 Sikhs (who were burnt alive and killed) and 9
Gurdwaras of Nangloi, Sultanpuri, Kalyanpuri and Mangolpuri areas of
Delhi that were burnt and now lie in debris.
Karnail Singh, President of AISSF, said that the victims at the Gurudwara Udaseen were targeted only because they were Sikhs. He blamed the DSGMC for having miserably failed to protect the gurdwaras and to prosecute the attackers during past 26 years. He also accused the Sarna brothers who head the DSGMC for not filing a complaint against Kamal Nath for leading the attack on Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib and having constantly shielding Kamal Nath and Congress (I).
As a matter of
fact, no one till date was ever investigated, arrested or prosecuted for
attacking these places of worship.
The startling
discovery of this mass grave, along with ruins of the gurdwaras in
Delhi and Hondh-Chillar, Pataudi and Gurgaon (the latter three towns are in Haryana) is irrefutable
evidence that in November 1984, Sikhs were targeted and attacked in a
systematic and identical manner throughout India, said Advocate Navkiran
Singh, Chief Legal Counsel to SFJ.
Navkiran Singh also told that in the relief package given by the Prime
Minister, though focused on benefitting the victims and the families in terms
of money, job security, etc., nothing was offered by the government
to re-establish the ruined gurdwaras.
A documentary made by the AISSF on April 7 was screened featuring all the gurdwaras discovered in their present state. Navkiran Singh also said that the main purpose of the press conference was to draw the attention of the Sikhs all over the world to the present situation and to support the re-establishment of the places of worship.
Karnail Singh demanded the resignation of the leaders of the DGPC and the
SGPC on account of the deteriorated situation of the gurdwaras. He also
said that if nothing would be done by the Prabandhak Committes, they
would start the renovation process on their own at their local level with the
help of the Sikh sangat.
Navkiran Singh appealed to the government, the DGPC and the Sikhs at large to come forward to protect and rebuild the ruined places of worship.
"We are not strictly asking to rebuild the gurdwaras. Instead, any public place for common purpose of the people like public library, public school or any structure can be built that would be beneficial for people in the surrounding areas. But, if the places are left to deteriorate as they are, this would be a disrespect towards the sentiments of the people attached to these places", he said.
Babu Singh Dukhia, President of the "National 1984 Victims Justice & Welfare Society" urged witnesses and survivors to come forward if they know of any hidden location where Sikhs were killed and/or buried during November 1984. Babu Singh's relentless efforts have brought forth the present discovery.
Bibi Jagdish Kaur, one of the victims of the anti-Sikh pogroms who lost her husband and son in 1984 in Delhi, and a prime witness in the case against mass-murderer, Congress Leader and former MP Sajjan Kumar, was also present at the meeting.
The 48 Sikh victims (out of 65) in Nangloi "Y" Block 1984 riots were identified as:
1. Amar Singh ( Y 507 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
2. Baldev Singh (Y 620 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
3. Baljeet Singh (Y 337 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
4. Darshan Singh (Y 11 & 12 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
5. Darshan Singh (Y 759 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
6. Gurcharan Singh (Y 717 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
7. Gurnam Singh (Y 805 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
8. Gurtakhat Singh (Y 740 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
9. Harbhajan Singh (Y 323 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
10. Harbhajan Singh (Y 465 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
11. Harbhajan Singh (Y 714 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
12. Hardeep Singh (Y 715 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
13. Harjit Singh (Y 638 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
14. Harpal Singh ( Y 620 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
15. Harpal Singh (Y 863 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
16. Inderjeet Singh (Y 861 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
17. Iqbal Singh (Y 885 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
18. Jaggi Singh ( JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
19. Jasbir Singh (Y 624 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
20. Jaspal Singh (Y 761 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
21. Jaswant Singh (JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
22. Karam Singh (Y 848 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
23. Karam Singh ( Y 783 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
24. Kartar Singh (Y 633 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
25. Kartar Singh (Y 777 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
26. Kesar Singh (Y 842 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
27. Kirpal Singh (Y 371 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
28. Kirpal Singh (Y 583 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
29. Kulwant Singh (Y 850 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
30. Laxman Singh (Y 624 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
31. Madan Singh (Y 582 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
32. Mohinder Singh (Y 686 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
33. Manmohan Singh (Y 983 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
34. Manohar Singh (Y 383 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
35. Mawa Singh (Y 799 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
36. Paramjit Singh (Y 899 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
37. Pratap Singh (Y 881 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
38. Pritam Singh (Y 715 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
39. Pritam Singh (Y 881 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
40. Rajinder Singh (Y 899 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
41. Ram Singh ( Y 583 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
42. Ratan Singh (Y 707 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
43. Saran Singh (Y 720 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
44. Saran Singh (Y870 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
45. Swaroop Singh (Y 33 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
46. Sher Singh (Y 646 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
47. Trilochan Singh (Y 873 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
48. Trilok Singh (Y 367 JJ Colony, Nangloi, Delhi)
Following is the list of the discovered ruins of 9 Gurdwaras in Delhi:
1. Gurdwara
Sri Guru Singh Sabha, A-Block, Mangolpuri, Delhi (Only boundary wall
survives. Attempts to change the gurdwara to a Hindu mandir is under way.)
2. Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, R-Block, Mangolpuri, Delhi (Only boundary wall with debris and burnt bricks.)
3. Gurdwara
Sri Guru Singh Sabha, S-Block, Mangolpuri, Delhi (Only boundary wall.
Inside raized. Idol of Hindu god, Ganesh, has recently been put there.)
4. Gurdwara
Sri Guru Singh Sabha, U-Block, Mangolpuri, Delhi (Only boundary wall.
Inside raized. Broken Tharrha of Nishan Sahib is still there. Idol of Hindu god Krishan and images have recently been placed under the pippal tree.)
5. Gurdwara
Sri Guru Singh Sabha, F-Block, Mangolpuri, Delhi )Only boundary wall.
Inside mostly raized with some debris. Hindu Swasitka signs have been drawn on
the main entrance on both sides.)
6. Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, F-4, Sultanpuri, Delhi (Only boundary wall. Inside all raized except one room in the corner with leaking roof.)
7. Gurdwara
Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Jawalpuri, Delhi (Only boundary wall. Inside all
raized except one kotha with tin roof. Burnt beams, chogaths, and
pillars are still there.)
8. Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, 11/399 Kalyanpur, Delhi (New gurdwara built on one side and remains of old building with burnt chogaths are still there.)
9. Gurdwara
Sri Guru Singh Sabha, A-4, Sultanpuri, Delhi (Boundary wall. Inside
debris of old burnt gurdwara and one new gurudwara built in one corner
with mud walls.)
Bibi Jagdish Kaur, one of the victims of the anti-Sikh pogroms lost her husband and son in 1984 in Delhi,a prime witness in the case of mass murders against Congress Leader and former MP Sajjan Kumar was also present.
[Courtesy: Punjab Newsline]
April 13, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: M.K.S. (New York, U.S.A.), April 13, 2011, 1:00 PM.
Sikh organizations in India better start identifying sites of Sikh massacres soon so that evidence can be preserved. Seems to me there's a rush by the powers-to-be in India to hide the truth. Putting pictures and idols of Hindu gods, etc., is a first step to encroachment and also suggests that the sympathizers of the killers don't want the sites made public. This is a race against time now. Who gets to these sites first is crucial.
2: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), April 13, 2011, 3:28 PM.
A timely report about a timeless matter. As MKS notes, we need to preserve history. There is already a rising cacophony that denies such a massive pogrom ever occurred in the world's largest democracy. If we don't preserve our own history, who will; if not now, when?
3: M.K.S. (New York, U.S.A.), April 13, 2011, 6:12 PM.
I would hope these newly found massacre sites not be replaced with spanking new, marble laced gurdwaras. In my opinion that would be an insult to the memory of those killed. Besides the need to preserve the forensic evidence for legal issues, these are hallowed grounds and need to be preserved as such. A gurdwara can be build next to it if possible. I hope some entrepreneurial Sikh will start a bus tour of these hallowed grounds. I'm almost certain the bus would not go empty and may even make enough money in a few years to buy-out neighboring lands to build gurdwaras and give a new start to the Sikh neighborhoods that were decimated by the hate mongers.
4: Baljit Singh Pelia (Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.), April 14, 2011, 12:41 AM.
I see a lot of response to articles of less significance such as halal and jhatka meat or the nihang costume, but not much interest in this serious subject. Are we in denial or is it that we simply do not care as long as it is some other Sikh that is burnt.
5: N. Singh (Canada), April 14, 2011, 9:27 AM.
Baljit Singh ji: I care, and I care very much. Not a day goes by when I don't think about it because it has now shaped who I am. I think the community is in denial and really doesn't know how to deal with it. Also, there are certain individuals amongst us who go on creating mischief so that our attention is divided and we lose focus. E.g., the WSO in Canada precipitating a situation where the issue of the kirpan is now going to use up all our energy and focus!
6: H.S. Vachoa (U.S.A.), April 14, 2011, 12:22 PM.
Well! To answer your point, Baljit, I think, Sikhism has been made into a religion of personal piety with specific rules set for living for the attainment of union with God. The historical sites of Sikh history in Punjab have been converted to worship centers and gurdwaras. Take for example the "Chunna wali Diwaar" and Thanda Burj in Fatehgarh Sahib - they no longer exist, thanks to the construction of gurdwaras. I think our culture has been disinterested in any investment towards itself and, at this point, it is more interested towards aspects of personal piety, God and salvation. This results not in denial but apathy for historical evidence, while on the spiritual path.