I, Ashiwini Ray S/o Late Sh. Madhu Shudan Ray aged about 62 yrs. R/o 3/45, Jungpura-B, New Delhi, do hereby solemnly affirm and declare as under:-

1.                  That I am a Professor  in the department of  Political Science in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

2.                  That on 31^stOct.`84, as Chairman of Center for Political Studies  JNU,  I had convened  a routine Faculty meeting at about 11 A.M  Through my  colleague I came to know about the assassination of the then Prime Minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi and that  she was at that time lying in AIIMS, New Delhi.  I apprehended some social / political violence as a consequence.  I cancelled the meeting and  asked the Staff members including ladies to go back home and I  myself returned home to be with my wife and son.  On the way in front of the AIIMS I saw large crowd which confirm my apprehensive.  Back home, I switched on our T.V. and also contacted   same friends on telephone who told me of arson and violence in some areas of Delhi including the area of Ashram, New Delhi.

3.                  That on 1^st Nov.`84, at morning I had a visitor Mr. Shyam Jain, managing partner of Sapan Textile Ltd. who is tenant of my wife at 805, Rohit House, Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi.  He also told us of violence which he had to witness while traveling from his house in Green Park to our place.  He soon left thereafter.  Shortly afterwards, I saw smoke billowing from the Bhogal Market opposite our house and heard loud sound of things burning and bursting.  I walked out towards the market and saw a burning truck being pushed by the mob from the market on a slope.  The burning truck hit the opposite railing of the road.  I saw that about  20 meter away there was one police jeep (PCR) in which two policemen were tea reading newspaper and enjoying tea.  I asked them why they were not doing something to stop there persons but, they replied that they would only take action when they received order from higher authorities and asked me to mind my own business.  After some time I saw the Texla T.V. premises burning   and people were looting T.V.s.  In fact I also saw one T.V. looted by some miscreants loaded by some into Shyam Jain’s car standing nearby.  On inquiry he told me that the local boy asked for petrol from his car which he supplied in returned for the T.V. that was being loaded in his car.  I was also asked to take the share of the booty if I so desired feeling disgusted,  I left the place while miscreants were carrying T.V. sets in rickshaws, cars, bicycle etc.

4.                  That from the  back side of the building and I saw there a  huge tree was burning and I sought of  help the local residents to throw buckets of water on the burning tree so it does not fall on us.  The mob including in arson appeared unfamiliar to me.  I also heard shouting and saw flames in a nearby  row of barrack in which about 20 Sikhs families were residing upstairs and some shops in the ground floor particularly from the workshop which has a large amount of inflammable oils, paint etc.  About 100 people armed with sticks, swords and iron rods were standing in front of the only stair with which howling women, children and some elderly people were trying to escape the fire and onslaught of the ruthless mob below.  Along with some local residence we rescued these elderly men, women and children from the back side through various improvised contraptions of human ladder.  These people were given shelter in the locality by the residents.

5.                  That since the evening I had been calling my colleagues and members of the People’s Union for Democratic Rights and People’s Union for Civil Liberties of which I was the secretary and the late Govinda Mukherjee the distinguish lawyer of the Supreme Court of India.  My friend told me to do whatever we could in each of our respective localities and to gather and collate all our information  to get it  published  so that the guilty could be punished.  The summarized version of my statement appears in the publication “WHO ARE THE GUILTY?” Published jointly by “People’s Union for Democratic Rights and People’s Union for Civil Liberties.  The same publication has been annexed herewith as ANNEXURE – A.