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Above - details from the painting, "1984", by Amrit & Rabindra Kaur Singh. Copyright - The Singh Twins [www.SinghTwins.co.uk ]

1984

Of Murderers, Traitors & Quislings

by Dr. JASWANT SINGH NEKI

 

 

It has been said that "our memories are independent of our will." It is not easy to forget - especially the memories of devastating happenings and ravaging exigencies. That is why the things we remember most are those that should better have been forgotten.

Sikhs have often been advised to "forget" what happened in 1984 and "let bygones be bygones."

When a nation is subjected to almost genocidal carnage, how on earth can the survivors forget the holocaust? Millions of Jews perished in the Nazi years. Have they been able to erase their collective memory? Sikhs, too, have not been able to forget the various attempts at ruinous devastation of their entity.   

During the eighteenth century, Divan Lakhpat Rai mounted armies upon them to finish them. Sikhs remember it as the Chhota Ghalughara (the Minor Holocaust). This was followed by Ahmed Shah Durrani's even more devastating internecine attack on them, and declared with the beat of drums that "Sikhs have been exterminated." The memory of this event in Sikh memory persists as the  Vaddaa Ghalughara (the Major Holocaust). 

Both these holocausts are etched in our collective memory and probably will continue to haunt us as long as Sikhs exist as a nation.  

However, the holocausts of the nineteenth century pale in comparison to the pogrom of 1984 launched against the Sikhs in "secular India" by Indira Gandhi and her dutiful son, Rajiv Gandhi. 

In this instance, the Indian Army, along with its artillery and tanks was employed to invade the Golden Temple Complex, devastating the Akal Takht and piercing the walls of the Harmandar Sahib. Additionally, mobs were organized and studiously directed to the carefully marked residential and business houses of Sikhs by leaders and agents of the ruling Congress Party, which resulted in several thousand innocent Sikhs being killed in cold blood.  

In a "secular" democracy, any action by the majority community is easily considered as secular, while an action by the minorities to safeguard their interests, but not palatable to the majority community, is blatantly dubbed as "communal." 

No wonder then, that in "secular" India, minorities do not feel safe. The pattern set by Indira Gandhi was employed by the BJP in collusion then with the Congress Prime Minister to devastate the historical Babri Masjid. The Muslim community was subjected to well planned attacks in the Gujarat state. 

Attacks on Christian missionaries too have become a regular feature.

Don't all these happenings show a pattern?  

The attack on the sanctum sanctorum of the Sikh community by the armed forces of India and ordered by the Congress Government was lauded by the supreme Hindutva leader of the Bhartiya Janata Party, and former Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpai. 

Does this not underline the fact that the Congress and the BJP have the same agenda vis-à-vis the minorities?  

When, under Rajiv Gandhi's rule, mobs were mounted on Sikhs not only in India's capital city but in many other cities and towns of India as well, there was hardly any Muslim, Christian or Parsi thug among the violent mobs that attacked the Sikhs. 

Doesn't that stand out clearly?  

The Sikhs remember the happenings of 1984 with anger and agony.  The government has done little - if anything at all - to help the surviving Sikh widows and orphans. Shockingly, on the other hand, the leaders who organized the attacking mobs were honored by providing them places in the Union Cabinet. 

Commission after commission and committee after committee was set up to enquire into the anti-Sikh pogroms - oddly, labeled "riots" by the government and the compliant media -  but these commissions hardly did anything to assuage the injured psyche of he Sikh Community. There were many private individuals, however, that made efforts to dig out the truth, but the government simply ignored their findings.  

It is understandable then that the Sikh psyche continues to smolder with continuing anguish and resentment.

However, there is another side to this picture that makes us hang our heads in shame and embarrassment, namely, the role that some of the Sikh community's "most honorable" members have played.  

Many sensible Hindus rejected the lines of Indira's sordid designs. General Sunderji, who was ordered to mount an armed attack on the Golden Temple - Akal Takht Complex, reminded Indira Gandhi that the army was not meant to attack its own country. However, Major General K...S Brar had less misgivings and attacked not only the sanctum sanctorum of his own "faith" but also on those who were his own countrymen and members of the community to which he ostensibly belonged.

Giani Zail Singh, who was not only the Rashtrapati (President) of the country, but also Commander-in-Chief of its armed forces, quietly acquiesced to whatever Indira did in June 1984.  In November 1984, when S. Khushwant Singh called him seeking safety at Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), he was advised to "better seek asylum at some Embassy".  

The next ‘honorable' Sikh on the list is the former Union Home Minister, Buta Singh.  He did nothing to help the community; instead, he applied salt to the wounds of the community by having the devastated Akal Takht repaired at the expense of the government and against maryada (convention) of the Sikh community - which would not let it be desecrated by the blood-smeared hands of the government. The community later tore down the structure so "repaired" and rebuilt it on its own.

Buta Singh at least had the decency of appearing before an assembly of the Panj Pyara and accepted the tankhah (punishment) meted out to him and carried it out sincerely.  

There was another Sikh, General J.S Bhuller, who became an agent of the Indian Government to sabotage the International Sikh Organization that was being built to organize the Sikh community worldwide.

These were all official dignitaries and may have assumed that they were obliged by their duty to the government. But there are those who consider themselves "religious dignitaries" of the community whose actions have been even more abominable.   

A former President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee actually conferred a saropa (robe of honor) on Jagdish Tytler, one of the leaders of the mobs which hunted out Sikhs and slaughtered them in the Capital city in 1984.

The current President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) likewise decorated another mob leader, Babu Lal Sharma, who had been indicted by a non-governmental enquiry (titled Who are the Guilty) as one such who urged the murderers on in their depraved task.  

Another former President of the DSGMC is alleged to have prevailed upon a complainant Darshan Kaur (for whatever consideration) to retract her statement which named who was leading the crowds that killed her husband.

While Indira and Rajiv Gandhi might have had some political agendas (however unsound and dishonorable), the Sikh dignitaries alluded to betrayed their community - for whatever personal benefits, actual or desired.  

Sikhs justifiably express indignation against Indira and Rajiv for the attacks unleashed upon the Sikhs, but why have we condoned "Sikh" leaders who willfully betrayed their community?

Have we been left with no conscience to even demand an explanation from these quislings?  

We now wish to ask for an explanation through these columns. Let them give whatever explanation they would like to offer.  Silence will only be seen as acknowledgement of their culpability.

 

[Courtesy: The Nishaan Quarterly]

April 27, 2010

Conversation about this article

1: Baljit Singh (Birmingham, United Kingdom), April 27, 2010, 9:42 AM.

Why are we being coy about naming all the traitors and quislings? True, they'll have to answer in the hereafter ... but we should know their names now so that we can boycott them, so as to prevent them from doing more damage. Does anyone know who these persons are?

2: Taran (London, United Kingdom), April 27, 2010, 11:11 AM.

We are let down by our own, again and again. The so very 'respectable' Presidents of the DSGMC or of the Akali Dals of Punjab or the other office bearers in Congress and other parties, and the likes of Gen. Brar! It is very unfortunate. The whole affair scene is pathetic. Today's youth is running away as they see their elders taking off each others turbans in the petty politics of gurdwaras. Waheguru kirpa karke qoum nu darshan deo!

3: Brijinder Singh (New York City, U.S.A.), April 27, 2010, 1:05 PM.

Actions against the panth hurt twice as much when they are done by members of our own community. These people are no more than sell-outs. You can add Ujjal Dosanjh to the above list of traitors. No doubt, stirring up controversy to win conservative white votes in Canada. Perhaps he needs to be on the offensive to separate himself from the rest of his community, in the eyes of white Canadians. What was the need to bring all this attention to the Khalistanis in Canada now? They have been going on like this for the past 20 years. They are a minority in the community. Even though most Sikhs would welcome Khalistan, the methods espoused by these small groups cause them to be ignored by the rest of us. Calling them out and creating a media frenzy will not make them go away. Rather, it will give them more publicity and clout. In America, the KKK have rallies and parades, but does anyone really care? No, because they are a fringe group without much support. However, they are allowed to assemble and speak their mind because this is a free country. Dosanjh is a fool who doesn't realize that he is unnecessarily dragging the image of Sikhs through the mud. Perhaps he doesn't care? Or perhaps he is still smarting from the thrashing he took in '75.

4: Gurteg Singh (New York, U.S.A.), April 27, 2010, 1:27 PM.

When a nation is occupied, it is possible for the Government to buy and pressure the minor minions from the community - no matter what honorific title they may have and use them against their own people. I am wondering why "Honorable" Manmohan Singh's role in siding with the mass murderers and genocidal maniacs has been ignored in this article?

5: N. Singh (Canada), April 27, 2010, 2:26 PM.

Okay ... it would appear that I am posting a lot these days but bear with me ... this issue is a very important one. We have been waiting 25 years for the India government to provide us with Justice, and other than carrying on through legal means (like Mr Phoolka), raising awareness (like Ensaaf), campaigning and not giving up, there is not much else we can do. However on the other hand, we have yet to hold accountable those Sikhs who acted against the Panth over which we can have some control (through excommunication, both religious and social, through public denunciation and rejection, critical analysis and writings ... no violence, please!). I have listened to interviews with Maj. G. Brar in which he justifies his actions as being his 'duty' and that as a soldier he was only 'following orders'. I have a hard time with this argument. As an officer in the army Brar was in a position to make well-thought out moral and intellectual decisions. He could have resigned at any time (in fact, several hundred men in the Sikh regiment who were less 'educated' or privileged than him 'deserted' in outrage and suffered the consequences). He chose not to ... perhaps because he was a coward ... it was his decision for which he should bear responsibility. Likewise, General Bhullar and even Zail Singh ... their duty as Sikhs lies with the Panth ... there is no justification for their betrayal and the 'cover-up' of the genocide which occurred. We need to hold these public figures to a higher standard and that includes PM Manmohan Singh and Ujjal Dosanjh. Only then will we get the leaders we deserve. Growing up in the west as woman, I learned that when one has high standards and self esteem ... then one begins to demand that other people treat you accordingly ... the same applies to the Panth!

6: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Canada), April 27, 2010, 7:02 PM.

How about K.P.S. Gill and Surjit Singh Barnala? They are also answerable for their actions against Sikhs in Punjab. Who will do the justice for 1984? Only today, the Indiancourt has given clean chit to Tytler in the 1984 pogroms, and he can now rejoin his political career. "Who are the Guilty?" a 1984 report published jointly by The People's Union for Democratic Rights and The People's Union for Civil Liberties (Delhi), where the names of all involved are given and is well known to all in the system. Yet no one is ready to do any justice. Visit http://svaradarajan.blogspot.com/2009/10/1984-who-are-guilty.html

7: Gurjender Singh (Maryland, U.S.A.), April 27, 2010, 9:29 PM.

Most of the Sikhs leaders in the Government or in gurdwara management only care about how to hold on to or get elected to power. Sikh values and principles do not count in their minds. The writer fails to mention the Sikhs who are still in jail for more than 25 years without any case against them. Why is the Punjab Govt not raising questions? Because they are in partnership with the BJP. Most of the gurdwara management people do not like SGPC activities but still they are silent. If the Gurus come to the world today, they will use the same wording for these people as they used about 500 years ago against kings, tyrants and bad rulers.

8: Harinder (Jalandhar, Punjab), April 28, 2010, 9:33 AM.

The aim of 1984 was to rob the Sikhs of their chardi kalaa spirit. We still have it ... nothing is lost!

9: Jodh Singh (Jericho, New York, U.S.A.), April 28, 2010, 11:27 AM.

Dr. Neki has done a great job of telling us not to forget, ever, what happened in 1984. I noted what Zail Singh told S. Khushwant Singh - to seek help at a foreign consulate. I knew how the principal cabinet secretary, a Sikh survived in India's capital. What hurt me that every person who caused this upadhi is mentioned but nobody names the real culprit who did not stop Bhindarwala to turn the Akal Takht into an invincible bunker. It needed tanks to demolish it. I wish there was someone to advise Bhindranwala to reconsider what he did to cause this turmoil. Those who walked out of the Darbar Sahib unscathed, the late Tohra and Harchand Singh, failed to take out Bhindranwala. Kuldip Singh Brar did not have to kill Jarnail Singh Brar.

10: N. Singh (Canada), April 28, 2010, 4:39 PM.

Jodh Singh ji: It's getting a bit tiring to hear the same old, same old Hindu propaganda about Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale repeated constantly by Sikhs! Most Sikhs don't even know what he stood for and why he died for it. Perhaps it's time to take control of our own minds, do the reading about the man who changed the course of Sikh history. Recommended: "Struggle for Justice - Speeches and Conversations of Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale' by Ranbir Singh Sandhu. These are JSB's own speeches, translated into English. Secondly, "The Gallant Defender" by A.R. Darshi. If that is not enough, try reading "Bullet for Bullet" by Julio Ribeiro who was K.P.S. Gill's predecessor in the Police. Ribeiro talks about finding 'fake beards and turbans' in buses after the killing of Hindus ... so much for JSB being a 'mass murderer' and 'prophet of hate' ... that title goes to Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, K.P.S. Gill ...!

11: Kultaran Singh (India), April 29, 2010, 6:22 AM.

Although I agree with the points raised in this article, I would have liked the author to have named the 'former president' and 'present president' of the DSGMC who conferred saropas on these murderers. It is only when their names are repeated again and again in various media that there is a chance of some viewer/ reader bringing these cowards to book.

12: Ajay Singh (Rockville, Madison, U.S.A.), April 29, 2010, 8:09 PM.

Sardar Jodh Singh ji, there is another fact about Sant Bhindranwale that nobody with your views even mentions. It is a rather important fact: He was never charged with any crime, there was no warrant for his arrest. The Government of India had no cause or reason to detain or arrest him. One may not agree with his views, but I tell you, he was a better Sikh and a better Indian than you and I for the reasons I quote: 1) He died for what he believed in; you will not find too many examples of that in India. 2) He stated a number of times that he will surrender if he is charged with a crime. That is a very admirable position in a 'Secular Democracy' emphasis on both). I would like to know your views that do not paint Sant in a good light but please be truthful, honest and back them up with facts.

13: Kanwarjeet Singh (Franklin Park, New Jersey, U.S.A.), April 30, 2010, 12:05 AM.

When Indira Gandhi and General Vaidya attacked the Harmandar Sahib, it took them a mere six months to be confronted with Justice. For justice re the 1984 pogroms, we are still waiting 25 years later. In fact every time the issue is opened up, it is a case of mocking the Sikhs. We could have got the same justice within three days of the Delhi pogroms. We know how India works - no one listens to you until you make some serious noise. We should never forget 1984 - in fact we should constantly remind every Sikh - young and old, what that era meant for Sikhs and what was the real cause of 1984. We need to teach our generations how jealousy and treachery by the Hindu majority led to one of the worst times in our rich and young history. We should also teach them the correct history as to the activities of the RSS and the Hindu Jagran Manch - how these two used the system to try and wipe out Sikhi. Teach them of the enemies of Sikhs such as Indira Gandhi, General Vaidya, Lt. Gen Brar, K.P.S. Gill, Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, etc. Include Ujjal Dosanjh in the list. People like Kamal Nath, Sajjan Kumar and Tytler were small players working on the directions of the above. It's a shame that Sikhs are shown as terrorists whereas the real terrorists sit in the Indian parliament terrorizing people to this day.

14: Dogra (London, United Kingdom), July 29, 2010, 8:31 AM.

There is no doubt that Indira is primarily to blame for 1984, and the murderous mobs that massacred thousands of Sikhs following her death were organized by the Congress ruling party.

15: Simranjit Harbans singh (Delhi, India), April 30, 2011, 7:13 PM.

Agreed with N. Singh ji, A.R. Darshi's boook is worth reading. After reading this piece, I went straight to the online link posted by N. Singh ji. The book makes perfect sense; it's an un-biased description of the entire episode.

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