1984 Delhi Sikh Genocide - Statements

Statement submitted before the Nanavati Commission

Witness No. 142

Name : I.K. Gujral

Age :

Occupation : Former Prime Minister of India

Address : 5, Janpath Road, New Delhi.

On 31st October, 1984 I had come to know about the attack on Mrs Indira Gandhi at about 11.00 am I had then gone to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and had returned from there in the afternoon. I was at home in the evening and late in the evening came to know that the riots had broken out in the city and elsewhere.

Next day i.e. on 1st November, 1984 morning after reading newspapers, I contacted the President of India on telephone. He advised me to visit some of the affected areas and also contact the Government I considered it very odd as President of India had asked me to do such a thing. On 1st November, 1984 there was a meeting of Opposition Leaders and therefore, I was picked up by Dr. Farooq Abdullah at about 10.00 am On my way I had noticed houses, trucks etc. burning.

After I had returned to my house, I had received a telephone call from Gen. Arora and I was informed that he along with Mr Patwant Singh, Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh and others had met the President of India and had returned disappointed by his response.I had then gone to the house of Mr Patwant Singh and there we had decided to go and meet the Home Minister Narasimha Rao.

I had seen various incidents of burning properties while on the way to the Home Minister's house and return, I could see that there was no attempt to either get hold of the people or to extinguish the fire. As I was driving the car myself because my driver was absent on that day, I was stopped on the way twice by the crowd carrying lathis etc. and shouting slogans. Some of them came near to my car and opened the door and enquired whether there was any Sikh inside the car.

During my talk with the Home Minister, I could notice that he did not know many details about what is happening in the city. He had told us that since many VVIPs from foreign countries were likely to attend the funeral of Mrs Indira Gandhi, he spent much of his time in receiving them and making arrangements for them. He also told us that he was aware that police was not able to handle the situation. Even the police could not handle the crowd at Teen Murti Bhawan properly where the body of Indira Gandhi was lying in state.

He also told us that he was asking for calling the Army and that it was in the process. While returning I had first gone to the Gen. Arora's house to meet Gen. Arora's wife. Her neighbour had taken her to his house. I had therefore, gone to that house. He had locked his house and was sitting outside. He was first reluctant to give information about Mrs Arora but after coming to know who I was, he opened the door.

I could see that he had given shelter to 15 - 20 people inside his house. I took Mrs Arora with me to my house and also informed Gen. Arora about the same. While returning from New Friends Colony, I could see that some houses were set on fire. I am not quite sure whether the burning of houses in Maharani Bagh had started on 1st November, 1984 or on 2nd November, 1984 but I remember that on 2nd November, 1984, a neighbouring house of Dhingra was set on fire.

I had, therefore, gone along with my son to the Fire Brigade Station which was 3 – 4 minutes drive away from my house. The Fire Brigade man had told me that there was no police guard and therefore, it is not possible for him to send the fire tender. He feared that if he goes there without police it is quite possible that mob will attack him. It is only after my persuasion that he had come. By time they came, the house was almost burnt. The house of Mr Inderjit Singh, a neighbour, was also burnt.

Gen. Arora was contacted by some army men and after being escorted by army men, he had come to my house so Gen. Arora and Mrs Arora had stayed in my house. As Dhingra's house was burnt, I had shifted him to my adjoining house and they had stayed there for three months.

On 1.11.1984 morning, I had contacted the Lt. Governor, Delhi, Mr Gavai and had told him to call the army. He had replied that if the army is called, there would be panic. This was before I had met the Home Minister.

On 4th November, 1984, we had met at the house of Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh. We decided to meet the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and therefore we had asked for an interview. That never came through.

On 5th November, 1984, I and Chander Shekhar visited refugee camps at Trans Yamuna. The refugees were in houses, colleges and police stations. There were 7000 to 8000 men, women and children in the police station. The sanitary conditions were very bad. The SHO was really helping the Sikhs and therefore, he had collected so many persons in the police station. I had, therefore, asked the SHO as to how is it that so many incidents had taken place in his locality and why none was arrested. He told me that he had arrested about 10 persons but they took them away.

At that stage Chander Shekhar had asked him that 'who' has taken them away? But the SHO had not responded to that question. On 5th November, 1984, I and Mr Madhu Dandvate had met Mr Narashima Rao and conveyed to him the horrifying conditions in the refugee camps and told him that succour was not reaching there. During my visit to refugee camps at Shahadara I was told that food and other help was made available to the victims by the residents of the area. In our presence, the Home Minister had instructed someone to carry relief measures to those victims.

From what I had seen and from what I had heard from the persons in the refugee camp, it appeared to me that the riots were organized, particularly because so many persons have taken part in the riots and they were spread all over the town. The persons in the refugee camps named certain persons.

During those days rumours used to spread; one such rumour was that Sikhs had collected near the Gurdwara near New Friends Colony and were about to attack us (Hindus). When I was so told by persons collected near my house who had informed me about the same, I had myself gone to the Gurdwara and had found that none had collected there.

I had gone to the house of Musafir whose house was attacked by the mob. I was told by him that the local goondas had attacked his house. He was a Congressman, yet his house was attacked because he was a Sikh. I was told by Jagmohan Singh Kochar, Member of the Corporation that his house was also attacked and he had fired in the air to thwart the mob. He had also told me that in the mob he could identify four persons who belonged to the Congress Party and were his colleagues. No specific names were mentioned.

No Cross examination by S.S. Gandhi, Senior Advocate on behalf of Delhi Police deferred

No Cross examination by Ashok Kashyap, Advocate on behalf of Central Government

Read over and found correct.

(I.K. Gujral) (G.T. Nanavati)

15th December, 2001

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