II THE FINDINGS
- Nature of the Incidents
- The ways of those responsible for the November 1984 incidents in Delhi and other north Indian cities seem much too common with the perpetrators of similar crimes at Bidar. There was the same absence of hurry. The underlying intention was to insult the Sikh religious symbols and to expel the Sikhs from Bidar and to destroy their institutions and property.
One beardless lad of 18 who had been in Bidar only for one month prior to September 14, 1988 was pursued for a kilometer and was hunted down ina maize field like a wild beast. He received a dozen stab wounds. Four boys were badly beaten up and then thrown into a well to ensure that they would not survive. Hair of some of them were removed. One boy was put on the electric saw to be cut up like a log.
- There are no reports of Muslims having taken part in attacks. On the contrary they tried to save the students and several stories were current to show how they responded with compassion. Some Hindus of the town also did the same. It is creditable that they chose to remain unaffected by the prevailing sentiment of hatred.
“There are no. report of ‘Muslims having taken part in attacks. On the contrary they tried to save the students … Some Hindus of the town also did the same.”
- Fans were removed before setting building fires tires and engines of vehicles were likewise saved for themselves by arsonists. Our team saw several such vehicles. The premeditated nature of the holocaust is also clear from the fact that where students were living in houses belonging to Hindus their property was taken outside and buried but where they were living in houses belonging to Muslims no such precautions were deemed necessary. Houses of Muslims were set on fire.
- Much significance needs to be attached to the fact that bamboo sticks carried by the crowd were of one color and were uniform in size (Indian Express. Hyderabad September 24, 1988.
- Role of the Police and Administration
- There is evidence to show that lumped elements from outside Bidar were imported by road particularly on September 15, 1988. The police ignored it. Prevention of such infiltration into an atmosphere surcharged with anti-Sikh frenzy should have been the first priority and could have been easily managed by the administration when there were warnings and a history of incidents.
- All civil administration except the police is totally out the picture. The District Magistrate and the Sub Divisional Magistrate were both reported to be on leave and out of station. Abandoning their charge at festival time is in contravention of instructions. Enquiry ordered by the Karnataka Government will perhaps also look into whether the absence was by accident or design. It certainly is abnormal,
“The police gave a solemn assurance to the college management and its own Deputy Inspector General that no student was in its custody. Yet 41 students were in custody and they complained of harsh beating by the police while in custody.”
- The police turned Nelson’s eye to ample prior warnings. The past experience also did not activate it. On the 14th evening it did not try to nip the evil in the bud when such possibility cleared existed. It did not prevent damage to Sikh educational institutions but abetted their destruction, All nine business premises belonging to the Sikhs were completely burned down. Police failed to save even a single one. It, however, promptly used force on the besieged students.
- Prior information about the burning of houses reached the police but it remained inactive. Boundary wall of the college was pulled down with connivance of the police. Professional failures are in scores. Their attitude of appeasing the criminal inclined mob erodes deeply into the very rationale of the existence of the force. The Superintendent’s statement to the press that he gave priority to saving lives and not property is ridiculous as neither could be saved.
- The police gave a solemn assurance to the college management and its own Deputy Inspector General that no student was in its custody. Yet 41 students were in custody and they complained of harsh beating by the police while in custody.
- Under these circumstances some significance can be placed on the fact that bodies of four students were recovered from a well very near the residence of Superintendent of police.
- As already stated the Director General of Police the Inspector General all avoided discussing events, as they were expected to figure at the impending enquiry by the high court judge. They were quite annoyed and embarrassed at the handling are by the local police
“Not a single penny has been paid to victims; not even an adhoc grant to those who lost everything.”
- Appointments of a. judge w was inordinately delayed by the state government and valuable evidence was allowed to be partially destroyed. Not a single penny has been paid to victims; not even an adhoc grant to those who lost everything.
- Role of the Media
The press has many privileges which the man in the street may question only at grave peril to himself. Selective indifference to events is one such privilege. No one can help mourning the lack of professionalism in the Fourth Estate. Following assessment of the role of the Press is by an insider.
The anti-Sikh riots in Bidar a remote town in Karnataka, have many lessons for the country. The national Press which reported protests against The Defamation Bill even in far flung areas, failed to take notice of the rioting for 10 days. Not a word came out until some Sikh students reached Delhi to tell their tales of woe.
“This is not the first time that I a telegraphic office has acted as a censor or that a local official has sent unofficial instructions not to transmit messages.”
Stringers of newspapers and news agencies in Bidar, it appears were late in sending their dispatches, and what is worse Press telegrams were not cleared for a few days. This is not the first time that a telegraphic office has acted as a censor or that a local official has sent unofficial instructions not to transmit messages. I experienced this in Guwahati some time ago when I filed my copy on the agitation against “foreigners” in Assam.
”When reports did arrive at newspaper offices, the news desks also failed to appreciate the gravity of the situation apparently because of delay, they tended to take the reports as “stale” news.
The national press it is true, cannot have staffers in every town in the country. But even when the story appeared in some regional newspapers correspondents of big newspapers did not follow it up. [cannot say that this was because of any communal “prejudice”, though most of the subsequent stories were categorical in putting the blame on the Shiv Sena for fomenting the trouble. But the national Press cannot absolve itself of the initial lapse. How to ensure that it does not happen again is for the media to study.”
The lessons from Bidar” by Kuldip Nayar, The Tribune; October 6, 1988 While talking to reporters at Bidar, our team wondered why stories were filed so late. The UNI reporter replied with a broad grin; “It was a holiday being Ganesh Chaturathi.”
‘The All India Radio and the Doodarshan maintained a studied silence for several days, Who could have organized the operation black out particularly at the level of the origin of the incidents? The Central Government offices deal with the transmission of news communication. The blackout reminds one again of the similar arrangements made at the time of the November 1984 incidents when the Press in Punjab were placed formally under censorship. The entire media in what appears to be a calculated move “acted” in concert. It seems certain powers that be kept a close vigil on the news agencies which were not allowed to report incidents in a normal manner. The newspapers which happen to be clients of the two monopoly government financed and government controlled news agencies had a right to ask the agencies why they did not report the incidents in time and in a proper manner. But there is no such evidence, are LLL “All this tends to make the Indian fourth estate a unique institution; a vibrant democratic entity when dealing with ordinary run of the mill events but a closely self-censored/officially censored institution when dealing with the affairs of the Indian minorities and Dalits.” He e ISIE All this tends to make the Indian fourth estate a unique institution; a vibrant democratic entity when dealing with ordinary run of the mill events but a closely self-censored/officially censored institution when dealing with the affairs of the Indian minorities and Dalits. Thus, those who wish to know about the human rights of the minorities and Dalits and their plight in India should look for other sources than the Indian news media. Itisa matter of grave concern that certain international media organizations such as the B.B.C. the Voice of America etc routinely depend on the Indian news agencies exclusively for the coverage of the entire Indian scene.
Ill ANALYSIS OF CAUSE THEORIES
1, The role played by official news agencies such as the United News of India (UNI) in the present crisis is blatantly partisan. On the strength of information obtained as usual from “official sources” UNI floated the theory of a “clash between two groups over the installation of an idol.” This story, incredibly filed on September 16 from Bidar was picked up the Indian Express of September 16. It was left to the Deccan Chronicle of September 19 to deal a death blow to it and to highlight the fund collection drive as the real cause.
- The most favorite of such theories is generally sold as “an island of affluence in a sea of poverty.” It suggests that Sikhs at Bidar are very affluent and arouse the jealousies of others. The fact is that they own humble establishments such as a small restaurant a homoeopathic dispensary of a cold drinks store. The list of articles lost by students and other Sikhs does not show affluence either. They own small shops in blocks in which others own similar ones. Only one Sikh Mr. Joga Singh can pass off as an affluent person.
In any case 11 Sikh families owning nine shops could not have inspired such widespread resentment. What really knocks the bottom out of this theory is that although the economic condition of Muslims is much worse than that of Hindus not a single Muslim was so consumed by jealousy as to join the mobs.
““Mfaximum damage was done to Guru Nanak Public School which has only 46 Sikh students on its roll. Rest are all local non Sikhs.”
- It has been suggested that the students indulged in eve teasing. To have become a menace inspiring a holocaust of this nature it should have been noticeable enough before the incidents. Yet neither the gurdwara management nor the college principal ever received a single complaint of this nature. The personnel of the Central Intelligence Department were Clear that this was not a problem in Bidar.
Mr, Veerashethy Kushnoor told our team on’ September 30 in the presence of several persons that stories of eve teasing were circulated on the eve of chief ministers’ visit after the riot in order to malign the students. 4. Maximum damage was done to Guru Nanak Public School which has only 46 Sikh students on its roll. Rests are all local non Sikhs. tions by the Gurdwara, which became more severe after the Gurdwara sought permission to set up a medical college at Biddar in 1981. This came to surface through a pamphlet, circulated in September 1988 which demanded that the Gurdwara should not be given permission to start the medical college. The pamphlet also announced the formation of a committee to protest against the sanction of medical college to the Gurdwara. Subsequently a meeting was called on September 28, 1987 headed by Thakur Bripal Singh, Narayan Rao Manhalli, Dashrath Doddi, Kashinath Rao Belur and 10 others to consider ways and means of preventing the sanction of the medical college. The meeting decided to submit a memorandum to then chief minister, Ramakrishna Hegde, who was due to visit Biddar in October, protesting against sanctioning any medical college to the society of late Sardar Joga Singh to save the district being made an asylum for the “anti-nationals and the terrorists.”
The memorandum also alleged that there were antisocial and antinational activities going on at the engineering college and hostel premises.
Three days after the violent incidents at Biddar the Bar association of Aurad passed a resolution saying that the Sikh community in Biddar had destroyed a Ganesha statue installed on the occasion of Ganesha festival with an intention to create a law and order problem.
The affair stated that the violent incident at Biddar was not spontaneous but was a planned one by politicians belonging to various parties, who connived and lent active support to the antisocial elements in the town.
Sardar Khushal Singh also stated that he had already filed 21, issues of the Hindi daily, Deman along with the copies of pamphlets. He also submitted a video cassette on Friday which depicted the loss of properties of Sikhs including the Gurdwara on the disturbed days.
Earlier advocate P.A. Kulkarni appearing before the Commission on behalf of the Sikh Businessmen’s Association president, Sardar Seva Singh, filed a preliminary objection stating that the commission should have recorded the evidence, if any, produced by the Government first and only thereafter it might have proceeded to record the evidence of individual
Article extracted from this publication >> May 5, 1989
