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tones. "They are the voices of the dead." RIOT VICTIMS It is impossible to reason with Balbir or

Unending Nightmare his friends who back his contention, but it reflects the state of their mind. They are survivors of the roughly 100 families that live under an overcrowded shamiana, ad- 'i

G RIPPED alternately by terror and sorrow, panic and depression, they huddle in gurudwaras and camps,

under shamianas or simply out in the open. Many are unable to fully compre- hend the horrors of the recent past and too

paralysed by fear to look into the future. Three weeks after the carnage in the na- tion's capital-official death toll 759- the nightmare of insecurity still lives on. "There are voiCes here at night screaming for help," says Balbir Singh in hushed

- - . - - . - . - - jacent to Block A 4 in the west Delhi colony of Sultanpuri: 84 houses were looted or burnt in this block alone and

Dazed refugees at one of the relief camps in Delhi

nearly every house recorded at least one death. Few are willing to return to the

, burnt-out shells of their houses, a few yards away from their shamiana.

"They burnt two people in this room,"

$ says Bhagwanti in a flat tone. Ash lies heaped in a corner sharing the room with a burnt shoe, tattered bag and suitcase.

I blackened walls and empty tins. Standing beside her mother, Jatnia Kaur, Bhag- wanti seems drained of all emotion as she reels off the names of the dead: 11 relatives,

including her father, husband and two brothers.

"These are not houses, they are gra- veyards," says Guljar Singh who fled to safety after cuttinghis hair. Like others, he sits outside his ransacked home in A 4 , basking in the winter sun during the day and returning to the shamiana at night. Four of his brothers were killed by mobs and at26, Guljar Singh suddenly finds that he has to support their families-andwith no means at his disposal. About 30 km

SREEKANTKHANDEKAR

Bhagwanti seems drained of all emotion as she reels off the names of the dead: 11 relatives, including her father, husband and two brothers.

I SREEKANTKHANOEKAR

Says Bhanu Singh: "The criminals who wiped out entire

families still roam the streets. And they expect us to go back?"

=

east, in the relief camp set up at the Farsh Bazar police station, 16-year-old Magru Singh is now able to utter his name. Ac- cording to a doctor, for nearly 10 days, he just lay quietly, staringinto space, avictim of shock following the massacre that he witnessed in Trilokpuri. His mother, a thin, slight woman sits worriedly by his side, coaxing him to eat and say some- thing, anything. Thephysica: andpsycho- logical rehabilitation of Balbir and Bhag- wanti, Guljar and Magru and nameless others today requires an effort of monu- mental proportions. Worst still is the fact that the bulk of the killing took place in comparatively poor localities, where the survivors are penniless and illiterate. And they are mostly women and children.

S THE slayings on November 1 and 2 shook the capital, Sikh families in A the affected areas had fled-often

with only the clothes on their backs-to the nearest refuge they could find. Spurred bv fear of the mobs, they invaded police siations, government buiidiigs schoolsl and gurudwaras. According to estimatks, aboit 50,000 of them h G to flee their homes.

Up against a situation it had never faced before, the local administration didn't seem to know initially quite what to do: the numbers seemed unmanageable. The Government finally declared 1 0 places as officially recognised camps. In actual terms, however, the displaced were scattered in dozens of sites across the length and breadth of Delhi. The biggest single camp was in Shahdara, where the number was estimated at well over 10.000. But if the murders and arson showed the ugly face of Delhi, in the after- math of the violence there seemed some signs of hope. Professionals and govern- ment employees, businessmen and chil- dren, college students and traders and housewives joined hands to supplement the Government effort that was the butt of much criticism. But the odds were clearly heavy. On November 11. not even 10 days after the mayhem had died down, the relief camps started closing down one by one. Shahdara, Gandhi Nagar and ShakarPur among others. The Government's policy caused considerable confusion. In some camps, like Farsh Bazar. officials assured harried inmates that they need not move. Jn others- Ludlow Castle. for example- the authorities allegedly compelled people to leave although they were scared to return home. Social workers and volunt- eers were clearly averse to this step for more than one reason: apart from the inse- curity, they argued. the refugees had no-

I)E(.F.MRER 15. 1984 * I N D I A TODAY 81

- S P E C I A L F E A T U R E

thing to return home to, nor any means bf filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court of New Delhi, even as late as November 18, P livelihood. All their belongings had been seeking to restrain the Government from Sikh families were trickling back after a either set on fire or looted. Moreover, if closing down the two main official camps spending a few days inMongolpuri in west n compensation claim forms of loss to pro- -there were also two tiny ones-that re- Delhi, because they found the guilty k perty and of lives had to be filled, it was mained. It also pleaded that the court moving around quite freely. Relief and D

clearly sensible to get these filledfromrefu- direct the Government that it should not rehabilitation measures without substan- ps g gees in a centralised place, rather than harass voluntary agencies' workers or pull t id police action are clearIy no solution. . - t wait for them to return home where they down camps set up by them. The court has The scenario turned even more fright- i could possibly be cheated by officials or now restrainedDelhi Administration from ening as allegations of the involvement of s even their own relatives. But the authori- compelling inmates to leave camps or in local Congress(1) leaders started pouring i ties were clearly propelled by an over- any way obstruct the work being done by in, not only in Delhi but also from other af- I

whelming sense of urgency. voluntary agencfes. fected northern Indian states. As time t The most important motivation was to went by, and pieces of the puzzle fell into I

convince the general public that Sikh S THE days went by, it was clear that place, it became more and more apparent I

families were returning home because among refugees, lack of faith in the that there was truth in these allegations. A 1 normalcy had been restored. This explains Government was increasing. Worse still, it became quite evident that in ! i

why, even as camps were being closed Their greatest grievance related to the lack most places in Delhi the police machinery (

down, ofEcialspokesmen continuedinsist- of action against people who had indulged had collapsed completely during the riots: 1 ing that no pressure had been exerted on in loot and murder-and murder in the police officials were either silent spectators the refugees to leave. In addition, the au- cruelest way imaginable. Many of the or simply absent, and in some cases they I

thorities were perhaps not too happy hundreds killed were beaten senseless actively encouraged the rioters and even b

about having such large clusters of emo- before being doused with kerosene or participated themselves. I

tionally charged people together. Accord- petrol and set on fire alive. Peculiarly, it The allegations were concretised in a I ingtoonesource,in theFarshBazarcamp, was a modus operandi common to areas report titled "Who are the guilty?" which I . i which houses the victims of Trilokpuri- that lay vastly apart in Delhi. Says Bhanu was drafted jointly by the People's Union i. i

where the unofficial death toll is estimated Singh of Trilokpuri, who lost seven rela- for Democratic Rights (PUDR) and Peo- I at over 300-some extremists brought tives including four brothers: "On the one ple's Union. for .Civil Liberties (PUCL) bones and ashes in a bag, and proceeded to hand the Government talks about our with assistance from, among others, NEM, I

harangue the horrified refugees. But as going home. On the other, it refuses to do and was made public on November 15. one volunteer says: "Nothing can justify anything about the criminals who wiped Tajdar Babbar, Delhi Pradesh Congress the closing down of camps." out entire families and still roam the Committee(1) president, described it as "a I

On November 15, the Nagrik Ekta streets. And they expect us to go back?" Manch (NEM), a recently formed body Bhanu Singh is not the only one. In the Houses destroyed by theriotsin Trilokpuri which has done considerable relief work. Rakab Ganj Gurudwara, in the very heart abandoned by the former tenants

one in Punjab. Ifwe are not resettled here, where will we go?"

82

pack of lies" and denied the allegations against her partymen, but there were too many questions left unanswered by both her party leaders as well as by the Govern- ment. While Prime Minister and Con- gress(1) President Rajiv Gandhi is reported to have asked for a probe by party leaders into the allegations, nothing very much seems to have come of it since. The report indicts four MP'S, two members of the municipal corporation, three metropoli- tan councillors and four Youth Con- gress(1) leaders. It also admonishes the ad- ministration for the delay in calling in, and later issuing instructions to the army. The allegations of involvement or neglect of duty by police officials are also too serious to ignore.

The list of police officials in the report who were involvedin one way or the other -either actively or through neglect of duty-includes one ACP, seven station house officers, one inspector, two sub- inspectors, one assistant sub-inspector and one head constable. Also included is a list of204 people who, says thereport, acti- velfiparticipated in loot, arson and murder. And, according to NEM workers, as days go by, greater numbers of victims are coming forward to give eyewitness ac- counts of the complicity of many others. Says Mohan Singh, a local Sikh leader from Trilokpuri: "The thing we want first of all is the guarantee that nothing of this

kind will bappen to us again. Unless the area of assistance in which the adrnini- administration acts against the guilty, stration can truthfully claim that it has how can we feel reassured?" done all it could?"

A 'series of talks between some promi-

T HE ALLEGATIONS about the Con- nent Delhi citizens-including retired gress(1)'s involvement also came civil servants, former judges and indu- from an unexpected quarter. OnNo- strialists-and the authorities have also

vember 7, a delegation of Sikhs, led by local led to disillusionment among one section Congress(1) MP Charanjit Singh, met Rajiv of the Sikhs. According to an official sour- and presented a memorandum to him. An ce, these unpublicised talks started within extract reads: "It is aprovenfact that some a week of the violence dying down. The important politicians, belonging to aparti- main problem is accommodation and at cularparty, have actually engaged them- the outset the government negotiators selves i n the execution of the nefarious reportedly assured the delegation that plans of loot and murder." The reference one-room tenements could be provided in was clearly to the ruling party. various areas of the capital. But as days

According to the administration's own slipped by, the Government reduced its admission, as late as November 20, there commitment considerably, and then were still 4,200 refugees in official camps. changedits 5tmdfurther to say that theal- And, according toRed Cross sources, there lotment would in any case be transitory were 8.540 refugees in 16 gurudwaras on andnot permanent. November 17 where its teams had actively Lt-Governor M.M.K. Wali told INDIA

participated in the relief work. This adds TODAY that the Government does not in up to 12,740 refugees, and yet, the tally is fact propose to allot alternative sites to dis- incomplete. The 100 families-roughly placed Sikhs who did notwant to return to 600 people-who live under a shamiana their homes. The reason: it does not want in Sultanpuri, for example, have not been to create such a precedent nor is it in added anywhere. If normalcy has indeed favour of a solution which would create a been restored why are at least 15,000 peo- ghetto-like situation for one community. ple-the actual tally is probably much Whatever its reasons, government efforts higher-still reluctant to return home? It have been bitterly criticised. This criticism is a question that the administration will found its way into the media, causing the find difficult to answer. As one displaced Government to look askance a t journalists Sikh says with sorrow: "Is there a single making the rounds in the camps. In fact,

BHAWAN SlNGH SREEKANTKHANDEKAR I

Guljar Singh, who fled to safety after cutting his hair says: "These

are not houses, these are

I graveyards." I DECEMBER 15. 1984 INDIA TODAY 83

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some voluntary agencies are accused of Last week, however, there were new killed by rioters. One of her sons was em- briefing the foreign press, and the authori- signs of a special team of the CID being ployed in the Delhi Development Author- ties were obviously keen to give the im- formed and headed by a deputy commis- ity, one was a charpoy weaver, the third pression that normalcy was fast returning. sioner of police which would investigate was engaged in mending utensils, and the

Government officials deny allegations the cases that would be transferred from son-in-law was a coolie at the railway sta- of apathy, pointing out that some Rs 1 the police stations. The idea being to ward tion. Every now and then, she breaks into I

I crore has been spent in relief work and off any pressure that may arise due to alle- sobs, as she narrates the story of the kill- I another Rs 2.80 crore by way of compen- gations that many of those arrested are ings. Neither she nor the other women are sation. The rates aren't generous, at Rs close to ruling party politicians. jog said able to say what they will do with the Rs 10,000 cash assistance to the family of that action would also be taken against 40,000 they will receive as compensation every dead person, Rs 2,000 for every in- guilty policemen while those who saved claim between them. jured. Rs 10,000 for homes destroyed and the Sikhs would be rewarded. But till that All of them are illiterate and none pos- Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 for damaged homes. happens and till strict action is actually sess any special skills. Like others from But by November20,14,946 relief applica- taken against the guilty, the administra- their colony and from Sultanpuri, they tions had been dealt with and the last date tion's cherished goal of normalcy cannot have migrated to Delhi from Alwar in for filing relief claims had been extended be achieved. Rajasthan, where they had come from for an indefinite period. Sind in Pakistan after Partition. To them,

Whatever the Government argu- T HE SITUATION part,icularly calls for the only place they know is Delhi. Wails ments, the weakest link of a!f is-and sensitive handling because of the Binjaf Bai: "Where will we go? Our lands where the role of the police is clearly inde- nature of rehabilitation required. in Alwar have been sold and we know no fensible-the release of 200 miscreants According to official figures, there are 297 one in Punjab. If we are not resettled here, charged specifically for murder, rioting widows in Delhi, though unofficial es- wherewill wego?" and arson. These 200, now let loose, were timates place the figure at well over 500 Insecurity is a problem particularly among the 3,000 people originally ar- since most of the Sikhs slaughtered were, grave for these women who suddenly find rested when new Police Commissioner male, and in the 1545 year age group.

' that, in aviolent atmosphere, they have no

A.S. Jog announced a crackdown on Typical is the case of Binjar Bai, of man to turn to. Jana Kaur from Mongol- looters. The release of these miscreants at Block 32 in Trilokpuri which was the puri, for instance, returned to a gurud- this point has only served to add to the single worst scene of carnage. She was a wara after spending three days in her fears of displaced Sikhs who now absolute- widow even before the violence but now ly refuse to leave their tentative homes in there are four others in the family: three of Sikh families leaving a relief camp with the gurudwaras. her married sons and her son-in-law were their salvaged belongings

ove hi to hospital through a mob that smashed his car.

--.-- 84 INDIA TODAY 4 DECEMBER 15. 1984

home, where she had seen her husband and two brothers killed. "I cannot bear to live alone in the same house," she says simply. "I am too frightened."

But even in a scenario that is so bleak. there have appeared a few-but signifi- cant-signs of hope. One important aspect has been therole ofnon-Sikhsin the course of theriots: there is an endless series of examples of people who risked their lives to save fleeing Sikhs. Guljar Singh. from Sultanpuri, for example, was sheltered by a family he did not even know in neigh- bouring Mongolpuri. Ker Singh, a middle- aged Sikh, was beaten and given up for dead in Sultanpuri. But a local doctor, Rajesh Yadav, drove him to hospital in a friend's car through mobs in Mongolpuri who totally smashed the vehicle. "I have 32 stitches on my head and my jaws hurt badly, but at least Iam alive,'' gratefully he mumbles through swollen lips addimg "he is my saviour."

And even in the much discredited Delhi police force there have been some examples of rare courage and kindness. This is well exemplied by Daryao Singh, 50, who was station house officer at the Farsh Bazar until his transfer last fort- night. He and the 69 menunder his charge broke up mobs and rescued Sikhs from

BHAWAN SlNGH

burning houses at a time when the rest of the police force was simply falling apart. Later, they.broke open the locks in 76 near complete staff quarters on the police sta- tion premises to house more than 3,000 refugees. These comparatively junior functionaries have set a lesson that their bosses could learn a lot from.

T HERE is evidence of enormous bit- terness in the Sikh community, from top to bottom. The reaction of

oneprominent Sikh, who didnowant to be identified, was common: "Before the viol- ence broke out, I considered myself part of the national mainstream. Now I have begun to have doubts." If the attitude hardens, there may well follow talk of rev- enge, and of further violence, especially among young people who are already showing sign~of restiveness. It is a situa- ton in which a small spark-ignited by terrorists or others bent upon exploiting the situation-could cause yet another communal fire.

Already a sort of ghetto mentality has developed with several families unwilling to return home, seeking a "safe place". At least one Karol Bagh-based voluntary or- ganisation is compiling a list of such people which it will hand over to the It-governor.

SRFEKANTKHANDEKAI

Daryao Singh and his men broke up mobs and rescued Sikhs

fiom burning houses at a time when the rest of the police force was

simply falling apart.

The ultimate danger, however, lies in the displaced persons seeking to go to Punjab instead of staying in what they perceive as an unsafe Delhi. So far, there have been only isolated and uncomfirmed reports of Sikhs leaving the capital but if, over the coming weeks, pessimism grows, the gradual migration of at least some Sikhs cannot be ruled out. Significantly, on November 17, the Akali Dal gave a call to all displaced persons to come to Amrit- sar where the party would provide wha- tever assistance it could.

Another source of some worry is the lack of dialogue between Sikhs and non- Sikhs at the local level. Says 26-year-old Amar Guleria, a medical practitioner of Sultanpuri: "It is a peculiar situation. Not only the Sikhs, but even Hindus and Mus- lims here are scared because they fearreta- liation at some time or the other. Unfortu- nately, there is no leader in the colony who now enjoys the confidence of both com- munities. Who will start the dialogue?"

Unless something is done-and quickly-there is the other danger of Sikhs being by and large cut off from the mainstream. The carnage in Trilokpuri has certainly unsettled the lower middle class but Sikhs as a community in Delhi have also been considerably shaken. When the violence broke out, senior Sikh police officials were completely dependent on the help of their Hindu colleagues. One of them, a popular official in the force, got no help even after he rang up the police control room and other friends in the police force. Another prominent Sikh in the External Affairs Ministry had to lie on the floor of his car before he could be driven home to safety. These are ominous signs -and demand a much greater response from the Government.

In the past, many non-Sikhs, particu- larly Hindus, have resented the fact that the Sikh community did not vociferously condemn the killings of innocent Hindus by extremists over the last three years. But today, after the wholesale massacre of countless innocent Sikhs, the Hindu com- munity is ironically guilty of the same act of omission. True, slogans of Hindu-Sikh amity havebeen raised and speeches to the same effect made over thepast month, but beyond that there has beenno defmite step in assuring worried Sikhs that such viol- ence will never occur again. After all, the police or even the army can play only a limited-and essentially stopgap-role in retrieving normalcy. The final initiative; and solution of reconciliation will have to come from the involved communities.

-SREEKANT KHANDMAR and RA JU SANTHANAM -

DECEMBER 25. 1984 INDIA TODAY 85

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