1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Affidavits

Affidavit submitted before the Misra Commission

Affidavit of Rawel Kaur widow of S. Gurcharan Singh aged 40 years, resident of J-211, Kartar Nagar, Lal Mandir, Delhi-53, presently residing at C-103D, Tilak Vihar, Delhi-110018.

I, the above named deponent do hereby solemnly state on oath that: -

1. On 1-11-84, at 11 AM, I saw a mob comprising of 250 – 300 men coming in our street. They had iron rods of equal size, white powder and cycle chains in their hands. We closed our doors. They broke open our doors. At that time myself, my daughter Rani aged 19 years, my mother Gyan Kaur aged 60 years and my daughter-in-law were in the house. I hid my husband, three sons daughter-in-law and Rani on the roof of the house.

2. Our two shops, one of tailoring and the other of selling hardware were looted. They after entering our house, household goods were looted and plundered and the house was set ablaze. I helplessly, saw the fire raging. The mob which set the house in fire had come from outside.

3. On the same day at about 3 O'clock a middle aged man accompanied by two young boys came and started saying that why I was spared and that I should have also been killed. When that man took a broken brick in his hand and aimed it towards me. I ran towards my children. My daughter and mother remained downstairs. They hit my daughter and mother with lathis and presuming them to be dead went away.

4. On the night of November 1, 1984. I along with my husband and children remained hidden in a vacant plot.

5. On November 2, in the morning my husband asked me to see my daughter. My daughter-in-law was sitting all alone on the roof. When I came out, I found 15 – 20 men of the colony on the road. On seeing them I remained with my daughter-in-law. From there I saw that my neighbour Murari and his father Keshi Ram pelted stones at my husband and sons. Their house is four houses away from our house.

When my husband was hit by stones, he ran and climbed the roof. My neighbour Master Mohinder Sharma pushed my husband who fell in the varandha near the plants. To the meantime Hari, Kanhaiya, Murari, Keshi Ram and Rajinder reached in our varandha. All these persons beat my husband death by lathis and iron rods.

6. In the meantime one person informed my sons that their father was being beaten. On hearing this, the children came out. My eldest son Gurbaksh Singh came down from Rajinder's house. Rajinder and Rakesh hit my son with lathis after surrounding him. Rajinder reside on the backside of our house and Rakesh's shop is situated near our shop. There is a road in between Hari's and our house on the left side just near the road, the corner house belongs to Hari. He is building material supplier. Kanhaiya's house is situated on the backside of our house. His house is the third one from our house on that side. Murari's house is situated second next to the house of Kanhaiya.

Keshi Ram is Murari's father. When my son Gurbaksh Singh was being beaten with lathis, he ran towards the road. My second son Shankar Singh ran after him. The mob chased, caught, hit him with lathis and iron rods and gouged out his eyes. Before losing senses he cried and asked for water. At the same time the mob beat him to death with iron rods. My younger son Sunder was beaten to death by Hari and his accomplice on a heap of graved, which was lying in the plot belonging to Hari. After this they dragged the semi dead bodies of my husband and sons on the road, put over them the doors of our house and shops and burnt them alive. This occurrence took place in the evening of November 2.

7. On seeing all this, I along with my youngest child and daughter-in-law ran towards the Pushta on the main road. A mob of 200 – 250 men ran after us. They all surrounded and took us towards the buses. They started tearing our clothes and pulling the cords of our salwaars. They pushed me and my son. They stopped my daughter-in-law. Then I turned towards my daughter-in-law. They relieved her of her ornaments.

One of our neighbour Babu Lal came to our rescue. He said to the mob, "Their men and children have been killed. What else have they got now? Spare them now." One sanitary Inspector who was standing on the Pushta said, "Leave the women. Why are you persecuting them?" Then they spared us. The Sanitary Inspector took us to his house. He gave us clothes and he escorted us to Bhajanpura at the residence of my mother and we remained there in a neighbour's house that night.

8. On 3-11-84, I went to Bhajanpura Chowki to tell them that arrangement should be made to rescue us from that place. A military jeep was parked there. I begged them that we should be rescued from there. Then we all came to the Nanaksar Gurdwara Camp. We remained there for five months and from there we came to Tilak Vihar.

9. When to obtain claims for compensation on account of death of my sons and husband, I went to my house, Master Mohinder Verma asked me to state before the authorities that they died one after the other and get the compensation amount.

10. Whenever I went to my house, Murari, Keshi Ram, Mohinder Sharma, Hari Sharma, Rakesh, Rajinder and Kanhaiya warned me not to try come in that plot.

11. About 3 – 4 months ago, when my son and my brother Dilawar Singh went to see the house, Mohinder Sharma's four sons and his to two young daughters Kusum and Munni forced them to go to their house. They told them as to why their sister argues with them. They asked them to forbid her coming there.

12. I reported the matter in the police and get them arrested but they were let off. The police did not help us in real terms.

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