Delhi made Sikhs miss the bus in 1947. Delhi maimed and killed the Sikhs in June 1984. Delhi fell blind in November 1984. Delhi continues to fail the Sikhs- day in and day out. The Sikhs are perpetually awaiting justice and feel outraged about it. This is a quick peep into what happened on the streets of Delhi and in the corridors of power in the first week of November 1984. This is a short story of how an entire city benumbed the Sikhs, as if a large cobra had bitten them.

This is a peep into the too-well known Blind City of 1984 -Delhi. The capital city of India, for three days hounded the Sikhs in a naked show of savagery, unparalleled in any civilized society. This is a peep into that Blind City from journalist turned Member of Delhi Assembly Jarnail Singh’s book, “I Accuse..The Anti-Sikh Violence of 1984.”

“The first three days of November 1984, turned Delhi blind.”

The first three days of November 1984, turned Delhi blind. The vast media presence in the capital of the country could not see beyond Teen Murti House. On the fourth day, Rahul Bedi of Indian Express opened the eyes of this blind city and its purblind people. Other reporters either wore blinkers or were semi-blind to the killing of Sikhs with burning tyres around their necks was reported as some stray violent incidents here and there.

Not only were the people blind, but seemed as if there is a veneer of fear and pressure to stop all news of the killing of innocent Sikhs all around the city.

“It is necessary to raise the voice of the community. It is time to tell the world that we have not forgotten.”

The only TV channel of the times,the government owned Doordarshan was the blindest of them all. All its cameras in Delhi were devoted to showing the dead body of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from all angles and the remorse of the Congressmen from across the country and the city. Nothing else.  Men and women dying on the streets were ignored as pariah dogs or stray cows, which are otherwise worshipped but left to die on the streets.

Civil society rose to the occasion and came to the rescue of the dying Sikhs. The human pain and misery was lost in the efforts of rehabilitation. The story of the families, their anguish about their future was secondary at that moment and time. It is time to record the human side of the dastardly turn of events that gave a new meaning to the life of Sikhs in Delhi and others parts of the country.

Police stations refused to register First Information Reports. The first First Information Report against politicians accused of leading mobs on Sikhs was registered after 11 years. Policemen resorted to disarming those Sikhs who happened to have some arms for self-protection. In some areas police mingled with lumpens in identifying Sikh houses to be burnt and men, women and children to be killed.

Till today, the judicial system has not given a judgment to any of the perpetrators which can be talked about.  Those who were the leaders of the criminal acts again became leaders, nay, ministers in the government of India, rubbing salt on the wounds of the victims and their families. The flow of tears of such families refused to stop at the sight of Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, Kamal Nath and others.

Sikh sentiments had been trounced. Sikhs had become numb. Their very existence looked meaningless. Sikhs had been reduced to second class citizens. Now, whenever there is a call to recollect the times and seek justice, there are catcalls of forget and forgive. Sikhs now take solace and support from how the Jews have not forgotten and are determined to go the Jewish route and continue to seek justice till the last man is punished for the crime of killing Sikhs in Delhi and more than 1 70 towns and cities of India.

In this kind of depressing scenario, it is necessary to raise the voice of the community. It is time to tell the world that we have not forgotten. It is time to grow beyond numbers and statistics and understand the human side of the tragedy. It is time to tell the Sikhs themselves and the world how the poorest of poor Sikhs in Delhi are spending their lives in ignominy. It is time to tell how the conspiracies were conducted to spread mayhem against the Sikhs in a coordinated and pre-meditated manner. It is time to tell the story of how all the investigating agencies of the country toed the government line, obfuscated facts, destroyed evidence and totally obstructed the path of justice.

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