I Jaya Srivastava, the above mentioned deponent do hereby
solemnly affirm and state as under:
1.
I alongwith my family have been residing in the above mentioned
address since February, 1980. My
husband is Managing Director of Holtec Engineers Pvt. Ltd. – A
consultancy company for cement and allied industries. I am a house wife and social worker.
2.
In the first week of November, 1984 family member who were present
in my house were; myself (47 years), my younger son Sumant (18 years), my
nephew Anant (18 years) my cousin Apporva (26 years) and my nieces Shalini
(26 years) and Archana (20 years).
3.
At around 11.30 AM on October 31st, 1984 the news of
Indira Gandhi’s assassination reached me through someone outside Delhi,
enquiring about the truth of it. The
news was subsequently confirmed by my husband from the office and a few
friends.
4.
Friends phoned me and said there was looting and arson in South
Extension, and other areas. They
said vehicles were being set on fire, Sikhs were being assaulted, their
shops looted and burnt.
5.
At around 8-9 AM on 1st November, 1984, violence was
palpably present in our locality. Shouts
and noises came from the directions of Bharatnagar, Taimur Nagar and
Ashram. From the terrace, I
could see smoke billowing from several points from the directions of the
above said areas. People
running helter-shelter told me and my family members that the Tamurnagar
Gurdwara was being attacked and burnt, buses were driven into it and set
on fire.
6.
The names of Sikhs were deliberately obliterated from the
name-plats, to avoid detection. But
we were surprised to see later that the mob reached the houses with
certainty. They knew well who
is who. Earlier I had seen my
Sikh neighbour, Mr. Sethi flung from his house, hiding under a chadar,
crouched in the front seat of the car.
The ladies of the family moved over to the neighbours.
7.
I saw during the day between 10 AM and 5 AM many Sikhs houses being
systematically looted and burnt. A
mob of approximately 500-600 people would come, armed with sticks, stones
and rubble. At
times they were proceeded by a couple of tough looking youngmen on
fast motor cycles. The most oft repeated slogans was “Indira Gandhi Ke
Jai”. There was no sign of
mourning or sorrow on the faces of the mob on the contrary they seemed to
be enjoying it. If anything,
there was an air of jubilation in their midst.
8.
I could see furniture, mattresses, carpets, VCRs, TVs, household
goods, clothes – everything being carried away.
The set pattern seemed to be to empty the house and then set it
alight by throwing gunny bags soaked in kerosene or petrol.
Vehicles parked in the driveways were exploding into flames.
9.
I saw policemen standing here and there.
A jeep load of them came from Bharatnagar side. The house down the
road belonging to a Sikh family was burnt in front of them.
No body seemed to care. When
approached by my sons, they pleaded helplessness.
An atmosphere of numb terror and insecurity gripped everyone.
As if on a signal all activity came to a halt after 6 PM.
Talking to a few neighbours, I learnt that curfew would be imposed
by 6.30 PM. I could never
understand how the timing was fixed and why could not it come earlier.
10.
On the 2nd of November, 1984, going round the colony, I
and my family members found around 35 houses burnt.
Many were reduced to hulka, their masonry, mosaic, metal and fans
twisted and charred beyond recognition.
11.
Late at night, neighbours informed that the water had been
poisoned. Friends and
relatives phoned that police vans were going around requesting people not
to drink water. It was being
said that the Sardars had poisoned it.
Others told us that bodies of Hindus were coming on trains arriving
from Punjab. But upon enquiry, even later we could not find anyone who had
seen them.
12.
Peace-Committees were formed.
The idea of reprisal was very much in the air. In one of the Peace-Committee meetings a youngman told my
husband that you do not worry, if you even loss even a pin, you can get it
from me. He further said
“The idea was only to teach a lesson to the Sikhs and to do a bit, but
anyway matters got a little out of hand.”
My husband can recognize that youngmen but he does notknow his
name.
13.
At the other end of the spectrum of my experience lies my work done
with riot-victims (which is continuing even now), starting with Nanaksar-Ashram
and Nanakpiao Gurudwara, after I joined Nagrik Ekta Manch in the second
week of November, 1984. My
son Aseem and niece Shalini had got involved in relief work from 4th
of November, 1984. The tales
of horror and untold tragedy that poured in, made me sit up and do
something.
14.
The sceanes of misery that confronted me at Nanaksar Ashram seemed
unbelievable – a Lajvanti Kaur who had lost 18 members of her family, a
Swaran Kaur whose partially burnt son was brought in front of me, a
Jarnail Kaur – 25 years old with 5 little girls to feed, without an
earning member – the list was endless.
15.
Later, in December’84 and January, 1985, while coordinating
repair-work of houses in some colonies, like Gamri, Nandnagri, Sundernagri
etc. the full horror, the magnitude of the tragedy struck me, more
forcefully. The systematic burning of the houses was visible.
16.
Listening to the heart rending tales of the widows, presenting
memorandum and appeals, meeting the relief Commissioner and L.G.
coordinating with Bank and Government officials as well as other relief
agencies-through all this, the picture that emerges is intensely tragic. More than that, it drives us towards the conclusion that to a
certain extent the violence was organized.
Most colonies were attacked at about the same time, means for
killing and arson were readily available, and in most cases the police
played a dubious role. In
all, there seems a sickening methodology behind the whole affairs.
