When silence speaks more than words

A woman displaying a banner outside the Karkardooma Court Complex in the Capital on Tuesday. Photo: S. Subramanium

She silently stood holding a placard which read: “A government and a judiciary that punish the innocent and reward the guilty have no democratic standing”. In front of her, 54-year-old Harwinder Singh Kohli, was talking about how he witnessed his father and brother-in-law being set ablaze by a frenzied mob.

“I strongly feel for the community. Justice should be done,” she said, merely identifying herself as an independent activist. “I started reading about this issue last year and I was left devastated. This is my way of showing my support.”

With a

dupatta over her head to protect her from the heat, she enquired if she could enter the court complex but decided instead to join the gathering outside. “It is not just about Sajjan Kumar but there were so many people behind the scenes such as the police and the intelligence who were also responsible for the riots,” she said. “It was a Sikh genocide and it has been completely trivialised.”

An hour or so later, when the verdict was revealed, she stood behind the protesters who had managed to enter the court complex. This time her placard read – “How can anyone in India be safe if man eaters are free to kill again and again.”