1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Affidavits

Affidavit submitted before the Misra Commission

I, Surjit Kaur W/o Sh. Gurmukh Singh, aged 31 yrs., R/o I/3633, Ram Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi-32, at present residing at C/115, Tilak Nagar, New Delhi-110018, do hereby solemnly affirm and declare as under: -

1. That I was residing at Ram Nagar along with the following members of my family till November 1984, Gurmukh Singh – husband (35), a private truck driver, Satnam Singh – son (7), student, Jaimal Singh – son (41/2) Sant Kala Singh – father in law (60), Harnam Singh – father-in-law's elder brother (65), Mahender Singh – brother-in-law (28), Rajwant Kaur – Mahender Singh's wife (22), Manjit Kaur D/o Mahender Singh (7), student. I am now working at the stitching center in Tilak Vihar.

2. On the night of 31st October 1984, while returning home in his truck, my husband was surrounded by a mob. They forced him to alight from the truck, attacked the truck with lathis, stones etc. and also beat my husband. But somehow he managed to escape to Malka Ganj P.S. As I was worried about my husband, I had sent two Hindu friends of our locality to find his whereabouts. They managed to bring him back on 1st November 1984. My husband and his friend saw some trucks burnt by mob, which was abandoned by Sikh drivers.

3. In the early hours of 1st November 1984, a huge mob armed with lathis, sariyas, bricks, cans of kerosene oil, some of which had cloth ties to one end to serve as 'Mashal', came to our gali in Ram Nagar. They were mohalla people, mainly Chamars from Ram Nagar as well as men from outside. The mob shouted, "Khoon Ka Badla Khoon Se Lenge, Sardaron Ko Marna Hai."

The mob set fire to our truck. We women (myself and my sister-in-law, Rajwant Kaur) ran out to try and put out the fire and save our truck but the mob swore at us (Gaalian Di) saying "Chale Jao, Nahin To Ap Ko Bhi Mar Denge." We ran back and went to the roof of our house.

We saw the mob at Loni Road breaking the windows of the cars and trucks belonging to or being driven by Sikhs. They were also breaking open the shutters of Sikh shops, looting the goods inside and then burning them using kerosene oil which they had in can with them.

There were 5 to 6 policemen standing nearby as on lookers but did nothing to stop the mob. At about noon on 1st November 1984, the mob set fire to Ram Nagar Gurdwara. I saw all this from the top of our house.

4. The mob returned to our gali same afternoon. Latifan, a Muslim woman (lives opposite our house) overheard a conversation between two men of our locality, one Gajraj 50 yrs. old Jaat (a broker) and Attar Singh, 50 yrs. old Jaat who was a carpenter.They were pointing out certain houses to others in the mob and telling them, "Yeh Sardar Ka Ghar Hain, Inko Raat Main Jalana Hain." Both the above men belong Congress to (I) party.

5. Late in the evening of 1st November 1984, we called our neighbour, Chandan Giri, a Hindu friend and requested him to save us. (His grandson Onkar Singh, 17 yrs. was among the mob). Chandan Giri willingly agreed to save us, saying, "Hum Aap Ko Bachane Ke Liya Apni Jaan Bhi De Denge." He advised us to remove photographs of our Gurus from the walls of our house.

Then four elder male members, my husband, my brother-in-law, my father-in-law and his brother, went and hid in Chandan Giri's house. We women locked our house and went with children to my sister-in-law's (husband's sister) house.

6. That night a huge mob, comprising of some mohalla people and outsiders came back and started burning and looting all the Sikh houses. One Balkishan, a Chamar of our mohalla, pointed to our house and told the mob "Inke Ghar Ko Kyon Chhor Rahe Ho? Is Ghar Main Hi Sab Kuch Hai, Maal Zyada Hain." Then the mob looted our house and burnt it afterwards.

The mob roamed the gali thrice passing Chandan Giri's house. Fourth time, Dariyao, a Chamar, who lives in front of Chandan Giri's house pointed to this house and said, "Is Ghar Ke Andar Chaar Sardar Chup Rahe The." The mob surrounded Chandan Giri's house, broke open the front door and told Chandan Giri, "Tumhe Bhi Maar Dalenge, Nikalo Sardaron Ko."

My father-in-law and his elder brother ran out, but were caught and beaten and thrown into a burning truck on Loni Road. Then they caught hold of my brother-in-law and after beating him with lathis and saryias also threw him into the burning truck.

While this was going on my husband managed to run through the mob and tried to hide behind our still burning truck, where he was spotted by Nanak Chand and he was shot dead. He was then thrown into a burning house (No.1/3631, Ram Nagar).

7. Jugga was another person who looted houses and kept on saying "Sardaron Ko Nahin Chhorna Hai, Unke Bachon Ko Bhi Nahin Chhorna Hai."

8. On the morning of November 2nd, 1984, I cut the hair of my children and then went to my brother in law's tenant's house (No.1/3651, Ram Nagar) named Chanderpal. Alongwith him I reached Subzi Mandi at my brother's house. On his return Chanderpal was asked by Balkishan (the goondas mentioned earlier). "Tum Bachon Ko Kyaon Chhor Kar Aye? Humne Unko Bhi Khatam Karna Tha." The mob were about to set fire to Chanderpal's scooter rickshaw but his neighbours managed to prevent it.

9. I, along with my sister in law Rajwant Kaur, returned to our Ram Nagar house on 5th November 1984. Some of our neighbours namely Pandit, Latifan, Aftara and Shiv Singh had managed to save some of our possessions, which they returned to us. That same day we went to Shyam Lal College Camp. From there we went to our village for 10 – 12 days and finally came back and stayed in Nanaksar Camp.

10. We heard later that the army arrived in Ram Nagar only on the 3rd November 1984. We also heard that when the police came to take the surviving Sardars to Shyam Lal College Camp on the 3rd November, 1984, they were overheard telling the Hindus in Ram Nagar "What did you people do. Sardars are still alive We had given you three days and even then you could not finish them."

11. Whenever I have been back to Ram Nagar since riots, some of my neighbourers have been very hostile towards me. I have seen Attar Singh, Jugga and Gajraj roaming about in my gali and near my house. After the riots, my sister in law (husband's sister) has overheard Nanak Chand telling someone, 'Maine Goli Chalai Thi Sardar Ko Marne Ke Liye, Nahin To Voh Bach Jata."

12. I can recognize all the assailants whom I have named.

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