K A N P U R

C H A P T E R   -   1 0

C O N S I D E R A T I O N   O F   S O M E   A F F I D A V I T S

Few  incidents  may  now  be  dealt  with  mainly  for  the purpose  of  showing that  the  pattern  of incidents  was  similar  to those of Delhi. Smit. Gurjinder Kaur ( No.  286) in  her  affidavit  has stated  :

“ On  1-11-84,  in  the  morning,  I  along with  my  husband  late  S. Balwinder Singh, daughter  Ginni aged  15  years, sons  Manpreet  Singh  aged  about  12  years  and Bhupinder  Singh aged  10  years  and  my  ewmployee  Karnail  Singh was  at  my  house  situated  at 81, Inustrial Estate, Kanpur.  In the  morning  at  about  10.30 a.m.  about  500 - 600  persons  came  to  my  house. They  were  raising  slogans , ‘ Pradhan  Mantri  Indira  Gandhi  Zindabad”. After  breaking  the gate  they  pushed out Fiat  car  No. UPG 8000   on the  road. Then,after  breaking  the  inner gate  and  getting iron  rods etc. in their hands, came  to the first  floor. Then, they  tried  to  breakm open  the  channel  gate  but  could  not  succeed.  Upon  this  Ahmed  shouted  that  the  cement  grills  be broken.  Then  Prem  Die-maker, Ahmed, Mishra’s  tenants  andf others  whose  names  I  do  not  know  buut  can identify  if happened to  come  before  me  came  in by  breaking  the cement grills.  Ahmed  and  Prem  Die-maker  started beating  my  husband  and  Karnail Singh with attache   and iron  rods.  They were  demainding  two  lakh  of  rupees  from  my husbandD  but the  deponent’s  husband had   Rs.70,000 with him  which he gave  to  Ahmed  and Prem  Die-maker. In the  meantime,  while  being  beasten,  Karnail Singh  jumped  into  the adjacent  factory  No.8. But  the  owner  of  that  factory Shri  Gupta  and his wife,  on  being  pressed  by  the  rioters  turned  Karnail  Singh  out  of their  house.  Then the rioters  beat  Karnail  Singh  with bricks,  stones  and sticks  and threw  him in front  of  our  factory.  In the  meantime  they came  to  the first  floor  and Ahmed  hit  my  husband   Balwinder  Singh  with  a  Gamla  in  his  head  whereupon  he  fell down   and  they  started  dragging  himm down.  At  this  my daughter  Ginni  tried  to  save  her  father  by  holding  the  hand of  her  father  but Prem  pushed  her  away. Meanwhile  Ahmed  cmpelled  the  deponent   to  relieve  her  of  the  gold  bangles and which  she  was  having  on  her  person. After  that they  threw  the  deponent’s  husband  on ground and  the  deponent car  was  set  on fire and  my  husband  Karnail Singh  were thrown in it.  They  also  threw  four  to  five   wooden  benches  in the  fire.  The fire raged  and my husband  and  Karnail  Singh  were burning  in it.  At  this  myself  and  my  children  screamed  and  shouted  to help  my  husband  and  Karnail  Singh.  Them  some  amongst the  mob and  Ahmed  and  Prem  shouted  threatening  that  we  shall  meet the same  fate  if  we  fried (sic).  The  deponent  and her  children  got  scared  and kept  silence. Ahmed  and Prem had a  big  hand   in getting  the deponent’s  house  looted and  in getting  her husband  and  employee  Karnail Singh  killed. On  1-11-84  at  about  4 p.m.  my brother-in-law  S. Amarjit  Singh who  resides  in Govindnagar  gave  money  to  two  policemen  who  then  accompanied  two  Hindu  neighbours  of  his  mohallaa  who  came  in a  tempo  to  rescue  us  and  then  we  all  went  to his  house  in Govind Nagar.

Smt.  Amar  Kaur  (No.54), resident  of Kakadeo  area narrates another  incident  of killing.  Her  husband  had a motor  repair  workshop  in  Transport  Nagar  and  two of her sons  were  having  separate  business  and  the  third  son  works  in  the Indian  Air Force. She  has  stated  :

“ I  became  very  sad  on hearing  the  assassination of  Smt.  Indira  Ganhi  and  started  weeping. My husband  S.Teja  Singh  was  in  the  workshop  in Transport Nagar .  Karamjit Singh  (son)  had  a  motor  repair  shop  at  Gadariyan  Purwa, Kanpur and my  youngest  son  Varinder Singh  was in  IAF  and had  come on leave  and  he  was  at  home. On  1-11-84  at  about  3  a.m.  my husband  S.Teja Singh came  home  on  a bicyccle.  He  was  highly  upset  and  sad. My  middle  son  Karamjit  Singh  did  not  come.  That  on  1-11-84  at  about  12 noon  a police  veicle  passed  near my house  and  it  was announcing  that  curfew has  been  imposed  and  that  nobody  should  come  out.  Sometime  before the  arrival of  this  vehicle  we were  planning  to  leave  for  some safer  place  but  on  hearing  about  the  imposition  of  curfew  we  were  satisfied  that  nothing would  happen  now.

That  on  1-11-84  at  about  2  p.m.  a mob  of 2000 - 2500  sahouting  anti-Sikh  slogans  came towards  our house.  From  the  window  I saw  that  they were  having dandas, lathis, iron-rods,  bricks,stones  etc. in their hands.  They broke the  boundary  wall  of my house  and after breaking  open  the  door,  started  looting.

That  when  the  rioters  were breaking  my boundary  wall  I made  my  daughters  and  children  jump  to  the house  of  the  neighbour.  Both  my  sons  Kulwant  Singh and  Varinder  Singh also  ran  somewhere to  save  their  lives.  In  the  house  only me  and  my husband  were left.  When   the   rioters  were looting, they were  shouting, ‘  Be  quick,  there  are lot  of  things.’  On  seeing  me  the  rioters  pelted  stones  at me.  I got  badly  injured  and  blood  started  coming  out  from  my head and  ears.  When  my  husband  S.Teja Singh  ran  towards   the  stairs, the  rioters  hit   him with  stones  and  fell down  badly  injured.  Then they  beat  him  so  mercilessly that  he  died. Then  they  dragged  him out  and  threw  him  on  the  burning  motorcycle  of  S.Autar  Singh.

In  my  house  there  were  big  almirahs, big boxes, T. V.  Fridge,  beds,  crockery, utensils,jewellery, cash  etc.  and they were  taken  away  by  the  riotes. On  2-11-84  at about  5  a.m. my  son  Karamjit  Singh, came  alongwith  one  Ajay  (a  rickshaw  driver)  on  a  cycle. When  Karamjit  Singh  and   Ajay  reached  near the house some  mohalla  walas  were standing there. They  asked  as  to  who  was  there.  My  son  replied  that it was he, Karamjit. At  this  the  people  standing  there shouted  to kill  him  as he had  come.People  ran  towards  him.Karamjit   left his cycle  and  ran.  Dr. Mishra  residing  at  house  no.  70/3,  Vajay Nagar,Kanpur,  hit  my son with a  spear    which  hit him  in  the  stomach  and he fell down  there.  Then  all  the  rioters beat  him  mercilessly  and set  him  ablaze after  pouring  kerosene  oil  upon  him.”

Reference tomay  be  made  to  the affidavit  of Smt.  Manjeet  Kaur (No.  106). She was  a  resident  of  Kakadeo  area  and has stated :

On  2-11-84  at  5 p.m.  my  landlord  Mrs  Bhatia  and her  sons Bhajana Lal Bhatia  and  Naresh  Bhatia  compelled us  to  leave  her house.  Myself  and  my husband  begged  them  that  they  should  allow  us  to  remain  there  for  2 - 4  days  more  but they did not  agree.  Also  we  apprehended  that  if we  did not leave  the  house, both  the boys  would  call  the  goondas and get  us killed.  Left  with  no  other option,  we started from  our  house at 7  a.m. to  seek  refuse elsewhere.  When  we  were  passing  through  A-1 Crossing there  wee  some  persons  present   here  and  there. They  shouted, “Sardar  jaa  rahe  hain, maro,  pakro.”  On hearing  this, people  ran  from  all directions and caught  my  husband and elder son  Ravinder  Pal  and  started  heating them.  After  beating  them  with  lathis  and  stones,  both  of  them  were  set  on  fire.”

These  were  certainly  incidents  of  brutal  killing  and  clearly  sxhibit  the  animality  in  the  rioters. Unless  there  was  a  total  loss of   respect  for  human  loife,  the manner  in  which  the  killings  have  taken  place  would not  have happened.

Reference  may  be  made  to the affidavit  of  Shiv  Pyare Tiwari  (No. 103 )  where  he  has  said  :

On  31-10-84  at  about  7.30  p.m. when  I  was  preparing  my  food  at the shop, about  500  persons started  pelting  stones  at the shop.  I get  frightened  and  came  out of the  shop.  After  sometime,  the  mob  stopped a  truck  passing  that  way,  got  diesel  from  it,  poured  diesel  upon the  shop  and  set  it on   fire. I  watched  the burning  shop  upto  8 p.m.  The  mob  asked me  to  run  away  and abused  me  for  serving  at the  shop  of  a traitor.  Tjhey  threatened  that if I did  not  run  away  they  would   throw  me  too in  the  fire. I got  scared  and  took  the cycle  from the  shop  and  went  to  the house  of my  employer.”.

The  Army  not  only  helped  in  restoraionn  of law and order  but  also  looked  sfter  evacuation , running  of Relief  Camps  and  provision  of food and clothing. It  continued  to  be  in the  city  till 7 p.m.  of  12th  November,  1984  and thereafter  withdrew  to  the  Cantonment.