We must not allow the pain and suffering of the Sikh victims to be transformed into a political instrument to mute calls for justice for the ‘other' victims of similarly orchestrated massacres.
More than a quarter century on, not much remains of ‘1984' — shorthand for one of the largest pogroms in India's postcolonial history when thousands of Sikhs were massacred in retribution for Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination — in the public memory. The voices of victims and eyewitnesses one often heard in courtrooms have almost retired in exhaustion. The names of state-appointed serial commissions to establish the facts on ground have by now joined footnotes of history in a long line of ineffective judicial commissions of similar nature. And more remarkably, the miscarriage of justice through long-winded judicial processes where eyewitnesses routinely turn hostile due to threats, incentives, pressures exerted by fixers, or because of plain weariness has ceased evoking any mass outrage. In any case, the victims are supposed to have ‘got over' the event and ‘moved on,' precisely as enterprising and forward-looking communities are expected to do.
‘Moral retort'
Even as 1984 largely fades from public memory as a signifier of mass deaths, rapes, and the state's lack of will to protect its ‘minority' citizens, it has been resurrected within the political discourse in an unexpected new role — as that of a ‘moral retort'. In the past decade or so, we have witnessed its reappearance mainly as a moral counterweight that is dispassionately invoked from time to time whenever the BJP is confronted over its culpability in the 2002 Gujarat violence. In this functional incarnation, 1984 has been often described by L.K. Advani as the “greater shame and agony” than the killings that followed the destruction of Babri Masjid as well as the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat. This memorial evocation of 1984 violence thus serves at least two entwined purposes. At once, it underlines the depth of suffering experienced by the victims at the hands of a high-handed state, and then in doing so, reduces the suffering of Gujarat victims by placing the victims of 1984 hierarchically above them. Probably the most unsettling aspect of this moral taxonomy is that collective suffering of a group of victims is used to minimise the claims of suffering of another victim group.
Consider the following: Mr. Advani has often painstakingly made a case for prosecution of the perpetrators of the massacre of Sikhs, while in the same breath he minimises or rather dismisses the Gujarat massacre. His much-favoured discursive device to achieve this dual objective is to imbue the 1984 violence with a kind of uniqueness that separates it from all other events of violence in India's recent history. In widely reported interviews, Mr. Advani routinely describes the massacre of Sikhs as a state-orchestrated pogrom while the Gujarat violence for him is merely a ‘riot' that happened spontaneously as an emotional response to the Godhra incident. It couldn't be more ironical and insidious than this: to claim to feel the pain and disenchantment of one group of victims of state violence only in order to dismiss the suffering of another group.
This malaise goes beyond one political leader and one party, however. Any quick search of various online debates would reveal how the collective suffering of thousands of victims of state violence is routinely utilised in the public domain. The most frequent theme that makes zealous online activists dig into the public archive of memory is that of Narendra Modi's chances of becoming India's Prime Minister. In the rough speak of online debates, contributors ask without hesitation if the Congress party can demand accountability of Chief Minister Modi given its own record on 1984? The online supporters of the Congress party similarly point to the moral bankruptcy of the BJP-RSS vis-à-vis their role in the 2002 pogrom. The point raised in this discourse is not about demanding justice for the victims of either 1984 or 2002; it is about cynically denying justice to one group because the other has not received justice yet.
The victims of anti-minority violence — the dead and the displaced, the widows and the orphans — have thus unwittingly become participants in what has to be among the most tragic and bizarre political theatres in contemporary India. Their pain, loss, and suffering have been transformed into a political instrument to mute calls for justice for the ‘other' victims of similarly orchestrated massacres. It is as if the two massacres somehow cancel out or make up for the horror and pain felt by the victims in Delhi and Ahmedabad. This moral retortion is intended to serve as an eraser on the nation's violence scorecard: ‘your victims' against ‘our victims' equals a clean scorecard.
Truth and reconciliation
Societies that experience violent ruptures, and are keen on repairing them, usually follow either the judicial system to seek redress — to identify, prosecute, and punish the guilty — or the more favoured path in recent years of post-apartheid type truth and reconciliation commissions where the focus is less on punishment and more on grieving, mourning, and forgiving. In many cases, for instance South Africa and Guatemala, both the justice system and the truth commission are invoked to heal the raw wounds. The most significant ingredient here is the willingness of the state actively to participate in the reconciliation processes. And this is precisely what has been lacking in the case of both the1984 and 2002 massacres. The state, if at all, has seemed less than eager to repair the breach of trust with its minority communities.
The much-favoured gesture of conciliation adopted by the Indian state has been the establishment of commissions of inquiry chaired by retired judges. The purpose and objective of such bodies is deliberately left unclear. The terms of reference are often weak, and the outcome is usually wrapped in an indecisive legal language that seldom makes any forthright and readily legible statements. The victims who are invited to narrate their stories of suffering in duly sworn and attested affidavits do so with the hope of gaining justice. Yet those hopes remain unfulfilled as commissions seldom have power to do anything beyond making non-binding recommendations. The 1984 violence, for instance, has been the subject of 10 commissions in the past 27 years; in one case the commission wound up with the suggestion that three new commissions be appointed instead. The commissions, it seems, grow and die in a life cycle of their own that eventually has little to do with the crimes they are supposed to investigate. They are neither proper courts where the accused can be tried nor are they truth and reconciliation type of bodies with an agenda to better community relations. The only trace they leave probably is a voluminous report, often diluted at the last minute, which may or may not ever be made public by the government in power.
A widely held belief among social scientists and activists is that victims of suffering most of all want to be listened to in order to heal their wounds. Indeed, the therapeutic effect of being able to narrate one's suffering — and to be able to reveal one's wounds publicly — cannot be underestimated. Yet what is often forgotten is that for the victims, the path to reconciliation and forgiveness is as much about seeking justice as about articulating their woundedness. The cheerful images of those accused of organising violence in news media — being felicitated by supporters, addressing election rallies, etc. — can surely neither be read as signs of justice nor reconciliation.
(Ravinder Kaur is a historian based in Copenhagen.)
Keywords: Indira Gandhi assassination, Sikh riots
The comment that people should just rest easy is dismissive. Do you not think that victims' families - survivors - are owed openness regarding what happened and who organized and directed these incidents of violence? Of at least equal importance, surely, is the need to bring to justice the perpetrators, to set precedents that criminal acts such as these which violate the law of India and international laws?
Failing to create these precedents, and to address the legacy of these acts of violence makes it more likely that violence on this scale, in such situations, is only more likely to occur again? Dealing with mass atrocity violence requires us all to DEAL with it. So that we can make this society safe for ourselves and our children. Not dealing with it only allows the legacy of the violence to fester and bubble up at other points in out near future.
Such incidents, Khalistan, expulsion of hindu, Killing of Indira Gandhi and 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Godhra etc are shameful incidents in our national life. Whatever happened, was the right thing to happen at that time and under those circumstances. At least thousands of the actors, nay perpetrators thoughts so. The lessons have been learned by all concerned, the world has moved on. These matters are best buried now: Let all bleeding hearts also rest their cases and rest easy.
I am working on the idea of institutionalised communalism in India (on the pattern of institutional racism in the West) to understand why the institutions of the Indian state do not persecute those who commit violence against minority communities. Hopefully, that framework will help us to go beyond Congress-BJP political rivalry in explaining inaction in 1984 and 2002, and would throw light, even if it is more disturbing, on deeper and structural roots of this phenomenon.
The victim families of Air India Kanishka would find it healing to talk to Sikh Diaspora in Canada and explain the pain they go through everyday and how much it hurts to see people celebrate the release the bombers of the Air India flight. I am sure the Gandhi and Beant Singh family would find it healing to explain why it hurts when Sikhs celebrate the murder of their family member. So would be the thousands of Hindu families whose family members were dragged out of buses and shot. Before somebody accuses me of justifying 1984, let me point out that no Sikh leader or group or writer has stood up and apologized or even condemned these celebrations. Why? How can you demand justice for yourself and deny the same to others?
cant believe some people are so biased against Advani.
Not too sure, why only BJP and Advani Ji should be questioned by Ms Kaur - Just because she is a Sikh?? Why don't she raise the similar pitch when Congress erect Gujarat Muslim-Hindu killings after few Hindus were charred to death? When congress raises this concern for political mileage - and none questions that, why to question Advani only??? Why there is no write up from Ms Kaur on the killing of Hindus followed by Hindu-Muslims as a reaction??? The FACT remains that people use/misuse their power. Mr. Kaur wrote her pain for her emotional gain and so is done for Congress and same with BJP or any political party. Ideal would be to bury all this as Modi is going good with mass development, Sikhs are also doing well across country and abroad. Lets not dig the Graves and raise Ghost of past - Message to Congress-BJP-Ms Kaur and alike.
A wonderful attempt by author to express her anguish over the happenings of 1984. There is no doubt that the massacare that happened with sikhs was unwarranted and unprovoked. Almost during the same time unpleasant things were happening in Kashmir where lakhs of Pandits were being forced to leave their homes and any reluctance on their part resulted in murder,loot and rape of women. Kashmir being a muslim majority state with administration too looked after by muslims gave no support to Pandits in their period of dislocation etc. Pandits are now living as refugees and surviving on doles being given by center. The culprits are around us and the administration too is aware about the perpetrators of such types of crimes but legal and criminal system is a slave to the powerful and influential. I have my allsympathies with those who suffer racial and religious discrimination.
The so called historian Ravinder Kaur has twisted the history by not writing about the then situation of Punjab. For this state sponsored genocide of Sikhs in 1984 my heart still weeps. Writer was not required to bring in the post Godhra Gujrat, and ignore the Pandits from J&K . I am watching of genocides since 1947 partition. You may go on including Ahmdabad Meerut Bhagalpur...... and so on ignoring North East !
Important fact out here is that after 1984,1992 and 2002 no politicians have brought any laws to bring the guilty to justice at a fast pace. Like Jan lokpal Bill we have to stand and demand what we want, we are only needed once in 5 years. Bring a law that if somethings of such thing happens then public servant such as Police Commissioner, Home Secretary should be sent to jail till real culprits are found as they are the one who either have failed in their job or shield the real culprits, for personal favours.
Politicians, first instigate ,and then they use the public sentiments to satiate their own hunger. They are the real war-monger.First of all they have to be the ideal statemen by ensuring communal harmony and constructive politics.
After reading some comments justifying massacre of Sikhs in 1984, I am forced to make a comment here. The terrorism in Punjab was set up by congress itself to fight against Akali Dal which always held a strong hold in Punjab. I agree that Hindus were killed by fanatics, but a big chunk were killed by congress goons. Remember that, more Sikhs were killed in Punjab during terrorism days than the Hindus. So saying that the killings were only by Sikhs is not at all justified. Later two Sikhs killed Indira Gandhi (they were hanged withing a year), and in return around ten thousand innocent sikhs were killed in Delhi and Punjab within days with not even a single Hindu casualty (not even a single person has been arrested and punished so far). It was not a riot, it was a pogrom. In any case killing innocent people does not make any reasoning. Sikhism does not teach killing people of other religion, instead our Gurus have sacrificed their lives for the sake of Hindus and other communities.
What is evident upon reading many similar articles on all the riots/massacres/pogroms/whatever that have occurred in pre and post independence India is that the leaders have used the people like pawns and furthered their agenda very easily. Be it the British playing off one group against the other or their post-independant successors, the people have been led up the creek, sometimes as willfully as lambs. People have to wisen up and learn that unless they put forth genuine leaders of integrity, they will always be divided-and-ruled. This comment section is a clear example of how every religious group has suffered such acts and how they will all have to come together without prejudice to ensure we progress together. Resolve is needed and seeing the whole picture beyond my sect/religion/state will be the first step towards it.
Will the author ask for justice to victims of Kanishka tragedy that killed 329 innocent souls, which everyone knows was done as an act of revenge for operation blue star and 1984 riots? Will the author ask for Justice for those innocents who were killed by transistor bombs placed in New Delhi allegedly by Babbar Khalsa again as an act of revenge or for that matter condemn the killing of Mrs Gandhi by her bodyguards? Even now the news reports says that the huge cache of RDX recovered in Ambala was meant to target Sajjan Kumar. Here in Canada,India's tricolor is set on fire by some Sikh Organizations every year in front of Indian consulate and Indians are harrased no end on Republic day, Independence day of India.These are not acts of an innocent victim seeking justice. You just can not pick 3 days from history to build a case and demonize a country of 1.2 billion people.Maintaining peace is everyone's responsibilty.
I agree with the author that the victims of the massacres in 1984 and 2002 are often mentioned in a fleeting, either-or manner. But it is disappointing that the writer does not mention the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits - after all 300,000 people from that community were forced to leave their homes, witnessing the most horrific ethnic cleansing, murder and arson, from contemporary history.
It is a strong argument that the fact of two massacres has been twisted to magically (and tragically) leave what you call a clean score card. I am impressed also by your stinging note on the life cycle of commissions.
Thanks for bringing up this matter. Nice attempt by the writer. Perpetrators of any massacres should be prosecuted and punished without considering whether they are from majority or minority community. Political or religious support should not be a deciding factor on their prosecution. Marad riots in Kerala lost many lives from both minor and major communities, mostly from major community. Many of minor community families left their homes out of fear. All the culprits behind these riots were prosecuted and punished. The cases in other states should also be prosecuted in the same manner, without political or relegious influence.
There will always be a few people in power, who will use it to carry out riots and killing of innocents, especially when there is a community difference involved, as it was in 1984 or 2002. So sadly, that is not something that can be avoided. We should not take an emotional approach to solve this, but a practical approach.What can be done is to create some kind of an emergency bill, which ensures that sufficient paramilitary forces are brought in, whenever some kind of situation arises. This should be decided by the an independent authority or official. Regional police will always be under the control of local authority, but paramilitary forces will always be fair, and prevent any unwanted rioting. We cannot rely on peoples' emotions being controlled, especially the bad few, but we can rely on our strong paramilitary forces to nip any problem in the bud.
very nice and courageous attempt by the writer
People of India in today's India are facing a real choice problem. Congress has failed at each front of governance.But the problem is when the people turn their heads and look at the options available they don't find a strong and suitable opposition. BJP is struggling with its own internal problems. People as a whole are are not comfortable with such an aggressive hindutva suportive BJP prime minister.
Politicization of the massacre is one such contemptible tool these parties have been using to avoid the real issue and gain the political advantage.I don't know what is going to happen to this country.God save India.
The author's observation is quite right about the political class' "two wrongs make a right" sentiment. It is indeed a crying shame that the victim's cannot realistically seek redressal. It goes without saying that the comments of Advani and his ilk do not even deserve to be in a garbage bin. The author's idea of a truth and reconciliation commission, which could work in theory, may not work in practice. There's too much political mileage and/or collateral at stake. Unfortunately pogroms may not be a thing of the past either in India or anywhere else in the world. India is a diverse country with multifarious peoples, often having long-running, inveterate tensions between communities. This is a stark, and highly unfortunate, reality. We must keep working together as Indians to better our collective lot, and we must definitely serve justice where it is absolutely required.
My Punjabi Sikh brothers have done an excellent job by reminding the world about the 1984 Sikh riots even after 27 years. It is sad that neither they nor the media nor the Hindus refers to the thousands of Hindus killed by Sikh terrorists.
People involved in the massacres should be punished violently.Then only
India will be in safe side.As we consider the things happened in 1984
and 2002 ,the main victims are common people. Please don't bring the
partiality of whether majority or minority please think in the way he is
a human.Government should bring certain acts for the events happened in
1984 and 2002.The judgement should be fast and the victims should get
proper benefits and the riots should be punished violently without
merciness .
Organised violence of any type be it Khap justice, massacre of
minorities or racial violence is unpardonable. Basically these types
of violence put the majority section at disproportionately high
pedestal to perpetuate such crimes due to their sheer number. All
logic, emotion is lost in frenzy and hysteria. In India it had always
been very difficult to get justice to victims of such violence mainly
due to the absence of witnesses (police try to close such files
treating the violence as "balwaa" and second, slow process of courts.
We pray such events never occur but can the evolution of latest
technologies like instant photos taken by camera in mobile phones etc.
be able to at least identify culprits to be put later on trial (if
such cases repeat in future).
These pogroms will keep on getting repeated until we manage to punish at least few culprits and set an example. Fear of law has to be put into the law breakers. Only media can not be expected to carry the lone furrow.
This refers to the coments of Mr.JK.Dutt.Then president and vice- president are responsible for the 1984 rioted.Mrs.Gandhi was declared
dead by noon time on that day and BBC etc broadcasted the same.But the news was supressed to the nation. When LAL BHADUR SASTRI ,the prime minister died during night hours in RUSSIA,in 1964, Mr.NANDA,then home minister.was sworn in acting prime minister by 04.30 A.M on that day.But during 1964,then number 2 minister was not sworn as acting prime minister.The custodian of the constitution violated all norms of the law,caused and encouraged the riot.
This article is published on the same day that Mrs.Gandhi was killed in 1984.She was a great personality and I often compare her with Abe Lincoln for her will and tenacity to go to lengths to save a country that she loved.If she were alive or if she had a voice on what had happend after her death she definetly would have condemned the deaths of so many Sikh citizens.Point must be noted that she did not dislike sikhs or sikhsm but seperatists(this is evidenced by keeping the same bodyguards).The pain and anger by the victims of 1984 event is justified and all the culprits must be punished this is a given. All the governments who come to power do not take a clear view on this.It is ironic to mention LK Advani in this article.He is a man of no principles, he was a home minister and Dy.PM but did not do a thing on these issues not to mention 2002 massacre.He is a useless politician and he must not be given importance as he is accorded most times.Congress government must do something on1984
1984 cannot be compared to 2002. This is only to escape the motives of
the CONGRESS PARTY`s sin and its effects.
Rather than talk about relavency of '1984' or talk about porformas in other regions , can we concentrate on the main theme. The political parties have commercialized ( in form of votes) even the misery and suffering of peopel. The callous way of the parties use these incidents is abhorrent. But the bigger problem remains. We allow ourselves to be divided into various divisions which allow others to drive a wedge between us. I believe riots are done by a fraction of population with silence of majority. If we can be considerate about our neighbour and raise our voice when we see a injustice that would be better way to live. Discussions seldom solve problems.
I have seen the first hand riots post independent India during 1984. It will be wrong if we call it a riot. This was a genocide as it was initiated by Congress Goons. This was a systematic and structured genocide against my sikh brethren. The images are still vivid in my mind as I was in college that point in time. Majority of the so called riots have been created systematically for vote bank politics and that too by Congress which ruled the country the maximum number of years. However, it does not take away the Gujarat massacre which again is a blot on Namo and BJP. The so called secular parties like RJD, SP, BSP and others are holier than thou. They will use the same tool to garner vote banks for their political stay. No human life wasted in such a manner is acceptable. But what as an individual we have contributed. A big nothing!!! We so called Middlecalss do not even vote and we crticise the maximum. Let's be brave and let us be atleast 1% of what Bhagat Singh did.Jai Hind.
The fate of the Kashmiri Pandits is many times worse than the fate of any other minority community victim of communal violence.But hardly anyone fights for their cause as if they belong to some distant country, not India. The Sikh politics was instigated by Indira Gandhi with some Sikh leaders in the Congress party for petty political gains; she reaped what she sowed. However the anti-Sikh violence was totally one-sided in which many thousands of Sikhs died but not a single Hindu at least in Delhi where I lived during those days.But in Gujarat in 2002 the number of Hindus killed was close to a thousand. What I find unfortunate is that all these facts are totally ignored by bleeding heart commentators.
Why is it that Gujarat riots of 2002 are the responsibility of BJP whereas Congress'name is never tagged to Delhi killings of 1984, though Congress leaders have been openly accused of inciting the riots and the party tacitly accepted it by withdrawing the accused from Lok Sabha Election? Why did Dr Singh apologise to the Sikh community - Mrs. Sonia Gandhi as the head of the party should have done it.
Nicely written and spot on. But going by a few comments, I can still notice some disturbing tendencies. Firstly when someone writes about the 1984 massacre in Delhi or the 2002 massacre in Gujarat, there are certain people who start crying hoarse as to why the killing of Pandits or the killing of Hindus in Punjab is not being mentioned or criticized. It is as if some people want to give some kind of justification to the killing of Sikhs in 1984 or the killing of Muslims in Gujarat 2002. The media very subtly uses terms like post-godhra riots to create a kind of justification for the horrible incidents of 2002.These debates unfortunately turn into debates about comparative suffering doing no justice to the victims.It is high time that all these tragic incidents be decided with justice and compassion and separately . Unless truth is accepted and justice delivered, the victims will find it impossible to move forward.
The Congress which castigates the RSS as a dangerous communal organisation would understandably be peeved if reminded about 1984. But with the media especially the major opinion moulder in the country, the TV news channels, firmly on its side and the RSS and the BJP for unknown reasons being not too eager to take on the Congress on the communal issue, 1984 memories come to the forefront rarely in the country's political discourse. The Congress therefore is able to muddle along in the country's political arena. Any other party would have been in the dumps already when hounded by so many mega scams. The Congress has luck too on its side!
i would like to remind people that a lot of HINDUS were wantonly killed in punjab for nearly a decade by extremists. just because these deaths were caused by FANATICS does in no way reduce the pain or the agony. why demand justice only for those who become victims of a few days of mad frenzy while completely ignoring those that suffered similar fate over decades. deaths in a pogrom in India is tragedy while that at the hands of FANATICS is just a statistic. ps: i know the hindu will never publish this comment!!!!!!
Last day in a discussion came this topic of 'forgiveness' wherein several admitted that while it is easier to say 'sorry' or seek 'apology' by the perpetrator, it is more difficult for the victim to 'forgive'. For the victim to benefit, there must be a genuine 'wanting' to forgive the tormentor. If such a genuine wanting is there, then with or without the perpetrator saying half-or full-baked forgiveness, the forgiver is liberated from the burden of forgiving. It is a mental climb. There need not be any pomp or show or credit or debit. A pause, a look, and a quite walk away is fine. Such persons live to see better days. This perhaps is the way of non-violence, ahimsa. Perhaps the way Jesus of Nazareth showed his tormentors some 2000 years back. He genuinely wanted to forgive them for all that they did to him, and in return some of his tormentors became his ardent followers. The power of forgiveness - make use of it to overcome your trauma.
what happened in 1984 was one of the most gruesome act of violence which was state sponsored and even after 25 years none the victims got any justice either from government or from Indian judicial system which forms the pillar of Indian democracy .I pity on our politician who can always find reason from the death of some one as an excuse to kill some one . hope the justice is being delivered to the victims of 1984 riots .
1984 is to the Sikhs what the holocaust was to the Jews.It has, along with the 2002 massacre of Muslims in Modi's Gujarat, fully exposed the Hindu fascist character of the Indian state.The majority community wants the minorities either to be culturally assimilated or physically eliminated.Minority communities in India should learn a lesson from these massacres and earnestly strive for restructuring of the political set up to ensure democracy and freedom for all.
I want to know one thing, can our President do anything to stop such state sponsored terrorism instead of looking the other way? What prevented the concerned Presidents in 1984 and 2002 for instance, to send in the army by giving direct orders to the Army Chief in their capacity as Supreme Commander of our armed forces? The President is supposed to be the guardian of our Constitution. Should he not take necessary steps to execute this responsibility conscientiously when he sees pogroms like the ones mentioned happening? Does the Constitution encourage such mass murders? Or is it that he is more concerned about his own job's security than that of his citizens?
A very bold analytical account of various massacres in India. What a shame?All political parties mainly Congress and BJP are the main culprits.Ordinary innocent people have suffered. The so called investigations, Commissions and their findings were also not perfect and the follow up actions by Judicial system were also half hearted and with out any benefits or comforts to the families of the victims.Politics have played in all spheres..When our Political leaders are going to correct themselves and take effective steps to see such events are not happening.Our Constitution is a great one and the spirit and fundamentals should be followed by one and all.Democracy requires certain code of conduct of Political parties, Media, Religious leaders,and the General public,if it has to succeed.Unfortunately we have failed. Stop the blame game and let us start building a new India.Congratulations to The Hindu and Ravinder Kaur.
A well-articulated article, with narrow view nonetheless. Violence is not acceptable in a civilized world. So every incident that involved violence is condemnable. But, how many articles have been published condemning the murder of the PM of the nation in broad daylight by own body guards? How many columnists could gather courage to write against the brutal Godhra train killings and the forced vacation of Hindus from Punjab and J&K? We appreciate and salute the columnist's and media's wisdom for this. They would only exacerbate the pain by exposing the old wounds. The mob-violence triggered by intolerable incidents with nation-wide ramifications must not be used to selectively paint an individual or community starkly, in the interest of the nation. While the majority community has to be protective and embrace of the minorities as its equals, the minorities should be respecting the sentiments of the majority community. We will be living in a paradise called India, then.
India suffers a bitter memory for last 25 years. The sikh massacre is one of grandest limelight killing of people. It is a black spot and people wouldn't forget congress for such heinousness activities against Sikh after Indira was assassinated. No one from congress party found arrest by police as on today. Justice delayed means justice denied as India loses its faith on judiciary about the outcome of punishment for political goons. Sardar Manmohan singh begging pardon some years before on behalf of congress wouldn't heal the rotten woulds, at least he should bring those to book, to protect his image in own community.
I truely agree with Madam Ravinder Kaur in saying that rather than establishing inquiry committees, govt. should participate and devote more efforts in reconciliation processes and taking constructive steps to rehabilitate the victims and their families.
why do you forget how many times Govt. of India has handed out compensation to the 1984 riot victims and how much money and resources has been spent on these kind of measures and still all we hear is resentment and contempt. What happened 27 years or 10 years ago was extremely tragic but also try to remember the deeper causes which led to these ghastly events. Terrorism in Punjab claimed life of thousands,you may better know how organised those massacres were in an attempt to extirpate the 'minority' hindu community of Punjab. was there any commission set up or compensation paid to relatives of those who lost their lives at hands of sikh militants?. India is a secular country and it was always taken steps to preserve the interests of all communities, wherever there are political parties, there has to be people who take advantage of tragic events, utopian land is a farce. it would be better if don't ferment the already sensitve indian polity with articles like this.
Nice article. No argument can authorize the killings of innocent people. It's our politician who can even change the definition of humanity and justice. Deeply feeling sorry for those loss of life in government sponsored mass-killings....
This kind of callous attitude of government we have been witnessing since last many years. They are not worried about bringing justice and strengthening the democracy, they just pass the buck on others thinking that Indian people can be led astray.
The justice delayed is justice denied. That all the accused in the 1984 Delhi riots have not been brought to justice even after over 25 years only shows that inquiry commissions are a farce and have no meaning if there is no political will to implement their findings. The inordinate delay is eroding the public faith in the executive and the judiciary. What is unfortunate is that both the ruling party and the main opposition party have double standard on dealing with the people involved in communal riots.
The author seems to be either a victim or a closely related to the event as such feeling can only be described by the person who has first hand experience.Really the victims of such massacres are left to their fate by the state with the passage of time as commissions appointed reach nowhere except producing large volumes of text which is in no way relevant to the victims. Further the commissions are made to prevaricate the truth so that the zeal of the justice seekers is lost in the mist of time.we in Kashmir are very much aware of such mass killings, appointment of commissions and the out comes.No action was taken against the killers of Chittisinghpora or Brakpora in Kashmir even when it was established by the commissions who committed such masss killings.
Pain and suffering of the victims should not be politicized. 1984 riot victims have made this very clear. Congress party had apologized for the 1984 riots. Local Congress leaders who were named as responsible for the riots have been forced to take political Sanyas. Respecting the victims' anger they were not fielded as party's candidates. In all the cases of prosecution of political leaders with money and muscle power the witnesses turn hostile. An IPS officer who had filed an affidavit on the involvement of the Gujarat Chief Minister is being victimized. BJP and RSS have faith in Violence . Those online supporters of the communal forces don't condemn the 2002 riots rather glorify the acts of perpetrators of communal riots. Let us see whether SIT Chief Keeps up his words that he won't let down the Victims. One riot by one party cannot justify riot orchestrated by another party . Till date neither Modi nor BJP had apologized for the riots and owned its sin but go on justify their act.
Typical India. Nothing ever gets done.
We need justice for everybody whoever is impacted. Why only focus only on minorities? There have been umpteen riots in India, where minorities have been provocateurs, with loss of life affecting both majorities and minorities. Why doesn't the author not refer to the Kashmiri Hindus who are also a minority and what about justice for them? Surely as a historian the author would know, that there has been other forms of ethnic cleansing, in which the so called majority community has been affected, especially in states, where the so called minorities are 20% or more. As a historian, the author should know that, ethnic cleansing activities have been going on, on a but continuous place in Assam and West Bengal and Kerala (Marad Massacare) with the Moplah Rebellion 1921 the worst. Such prejudiced historians are the affecting the true secularists, and are giving ammunition of the extremists, who only see the historians whitewashing 1000 years of Islamic Supremacist Ethnic cleansing.
organized pograms are a blot on the name of our society. Unfortunately we have had too many of them in the last 100 years. Starting with the direct action day violence in Calcutta on Augusust 16, 1946, to the partition riots, the numerous events of 'communal violence', the killing of sikhs in 1984, ethnic cleansing in the northeast, godhra and post godhra riots, we have many acts of evil to atone for as a nation. Till we own up to what happened and punish the guilty, we can not expiate our sins. With hands stained with the blood of innocents, India can never shine.
Excellent analysis. I am tempted to hijack this article by continuing questioning Mr. Advani . The next person who comments here will question me on every real or perceived injury inflicted by ...non- Sangh parties. It may escalate into a week long slugfest but the real message of this thought provoking article will be lost ! It is indeed unfortunate that the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh are often remembered when political parties, especially BJP faces question on Gujarat pogrom, not because they suffered such horrors. It is outright insulting that the victims of the mindless violence become pawns in the political game by the very people who claim to support them but conveniently forget them once their political objectives are achieved.
While I do understand the pain of victims of 1984 riots, and empathize with them, but one can not be selective in condemning acts of violence directed against a particular community.Every victim must get justice but one can not just pick 4 days of history and than conveniently forget what happened before and after those 4 days. Thousands of Hindus were massacred in Punjab and Lakhs of families left their homes out of fear. With an exception of Jathedar Jeewan Singh Umranangal and occasionally Sant Longowal, no prominent Akali leader condemned the selective killings and forced migration of Hindus.Killing of Indira Gandhi by her own bodyguards is another incident which is never condemned by those seeking justice for 1984 riots.I am not justifying the riots, I am trying to say we can't be selective.The pain of victims of Sikh militancy is no less than the pain of Sikhs who were massacred mercilessly following Mrs Gandhi's assasination.
This is a national shame! The most disturbing fact is that Mr. Singh, who belongs to the same community, did or could do nothing instead of being Prime Minister for two terms. Is there any political will to get the justice done? It is disheartening to see the politicians, whose role in the 1984 or 2002 pogroms was all too clear, still roam freely and hold high offices. Not only communal pogroms, look at what justice had been meted out to Bhopal victims. These are big blots on the so called shining face of 21st century India! May the almighty give peace and courage to the victims, and may a sense of humanity prevails among the power-seeker mongers and so called servants of people! May the justice be given to all. Thank you, Ms. Kaur, and the Hindu for keeping the memory alive.
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