Ten years ago, World Sikh News interviewed ace activist Harinder Singh Phoolka. He has come a long way since then and is now a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Ludhiana. Nevertheless, he still continues the legal fight for victims of November 1984. Here are relevant edited extracts of the interview.

His beard is rolled up in a typically royal Phoolka misl style.  His tall stature and demeanour has all the qualities of a learned person.  His patience to listen goes beyond that of a seasoned lawyer.  The glint in his eye sparks of deep religiosity. His passion for public work has very few parallels.  His determination and consistency is an example to emulate.  His desire to work behind the scenes is a noble trait picked up from his ancestors.  Hailing from a village in Bhadaur, Sangrur where his family lives, he has all the earthen grounding and the urban sophistication to be part of the who’s who of Delhi.

He is Harvinder Singh Phoolka.  He is the only lawyer, perhaps the only activist who has single-handedly and painstakingly continued to work for two decades, seeking justice for the victims of the anti-Sikh pogrom of November 1984.  A remembrance of November 1984 would be incomplete without a mention about the contribution of Harinder Singh Phoolka.  

JS: Where do we go from where we are?
Phoolka:  The first generation of the families of victims has settled down.  Some have been rehabilitated well, some not.  But by and large they have.  Now we have the duty to take care of their second generation.  The first generations lived through the times without education and in many cases were unable to provide basic education to their wards, as they were still living the trauma.  There was no male member in the house and most of them were left to fend for themselves.  Children were brought up in urban ghettos, living on measly doles from the government and some Sikh organisations.

JS: What can the Sikh Diaspora do?
Phoolka: The Diaspora has done a lot, but more needs to be done.  There is a whole body of international law that nails down the likes of Bhagats, Tytlers and Modis.  There is a compendium of US law which needs to be unearthed.  Now is the time for this phase of activity to begin.  The young Diaspora Sikh who has heard or read about 1984 should be excited to look into all possibilities of prosecution of the political leadership which engineered the pogrom. We will continue our work here, but the net needs to be strengthened all around. No one should be allowed to go scot free.  I must say that the focus should be on result-oriented efforts.  Not much talk, only work should be the motto.

JS: What kind of response do you sense amongst the Sikhs today?
Phoolka: Some people still talk about it in Panjab. People in Delhi do not want to talk about it.  The Diaspora keeps the issue alive.  I reiterate that the Diaspora has nothing to fear.  They should come forward and work.  Nothing is going to happen.  Do not fear about the consequences.  Consider this.  All those who stood witness and deposed are better off than those who chickened out for whatever reason.  Jagmohan, please tell the international Sikh community that they have nothing to fear.

JS: Would you have a message or call to Sikh youth?
Phoolka: Keep the issue alive.  Ten years ago, no one would have imagined that they would have got seven lakh rupees as compensation!  In 1994, people told me, why don’t you give up, nothing is going to come out it. When the Nanavati Commission was set up, people called it the BJP’s game, but they were in for a shock when they got more compensation.

JS: Apart from the compensation part, what more was achieved?
Phoolka: A Union Minister of the government of India had to resign, the parliament had to pass a resolution of condemnation in August 2005 and the Prime Minister of the country had to bow his head in shame.

JS: Are you satisfied with the role of civil society in India?
Phoolka: The way civil society in India responded to the government’s ‘No Action Taken Report’ on the Nanavati Commission was remarkable.  I am more than satisfied. Every channel, every single newspaper of the country criticised the government’s acts of omission and commission.  The underlying message was loud and clear that people are by and large with us.

JS: Would you have any advice for the Indian state?
Phoolka: 84 went unpunished and set up a precedent.  It is my view that had the killers of 1984 and their political masters been awarded exemplary punishment in good time, Gujarat and Bombay would not have happened.

JS: In all these years, what would you recall as your worst moment?
Phoolka: I was hurt and angry when the Sikh leadership, instead of facilitating our work, hurled hindrances.  The Sikh leadership shamelessly used money power to side with the likes of Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and HKL Bhagat.  This leadership attempted to reduce the significance of our work to their petty infighting and political subterfuge. When this political leadership attempted to malign my reputation on flimsy grounds of financial gain, I felt sad. This pain still lingers.

JS: What is your best moment?
Phoolka: ‘Na haar di gammi, na jitt di khushi’…defeat does not make me sad, victory does not make me happy. Till the Tytler resignation happened, I was on TV channels for three days.  The moment he put in his papers, I declined all interviews. My job had been done.  I am a seeker of justice, not revenge.

JS: What keeps you going?
Phoolka: Upparwala -God Almighty. He has been benevolent and kind to me beyond my askance.

JS: What is your advice to the managers of the Indian state?
Phoolka: I have submitted a detailed presentation to the Parliamentary Committee on the Communal Violence Bill to be presented to Parliament.  I have suggested major changes in the rule book, primarily detaching police officers from political patronage and also holding the police and bureaucracy personally responsible for any killings in their jurisdiction when the number of deaths exceeds ten.  All preventive measures should be automatic and clearly laid out with no discretion to the police or the political leadership.

JS: What is your message for concerned citizens?
Phoolka: No issue is big or small.  If you think that you should do something, do it. Do not wait for anyone. Always think about your role. You need to remember whether you are working for him or Him.  You need to work for your children, for your people and for your Lord. No one else.