Jammu
A peaceful procession of Sikhs Was attacked by Hindu fundamentalists of the Shiv Sena of Karan Singh now ambassador of India to the US.
Fourteen Sikhs were killed, three Gurdwaras destroyed, the four hospitals in the city could not accommodate all the injured.
Property worth millions went up in smoke, The police as has been the practice in attacks against Sikhs merely looked on.
The Punjab Human Rights Organization sent Mr. D’S. Gill, Mr MS. Jawanda aud Mr Jo ginder Singh to enquire. Their findings were shocking.
The attack was well planned and organized by the Intelligence Bureau of the Indian government and executed by the Shiv Sena.
The police rather than helping ‘was seen aiding and abetting the Shiv Sena hoodlums.
After daylong rioting, the army was called out on the evening of the next day even as attacks on Sikhs were reported from six other towns in the state,
Karan Singh is the patron and major financier of the Shiv Sena and Virat Hindu Samaj. For his anti SIkh efforts, he has been given the plum foreign service post of US. ambassador. Rewarding kil lets of Sikhs seems to have become a tradition. Bhafan Lal, H.K.L. Bhagat, Jaydish Tytler Sajjan Kumar and even Sikh baiter Buta Singh have tremendous personal power, thanks to the gratitude of Rajiv in his endeavor to “teach the Sikhs a lesson.”
The Criminal Investigation Department named 22 Shiv Sena activists for the Jammu violence. They were arrested but set free due to political pressure.
Excerpts from the PHRO report.” No one of consequence was ever punished for the violence in Jammu.
A few Gurdwaras in Purani Mandi were set on fire. Even the SMGS Hospital, the main hospital of the region, was not spared. A group of youths armed with kirpans and other weapons attacked the people in the Hospital premises. One Mandir was also damaged. »While the civil administration maintains that the Army was as ked to come to their aid at 1:00 pm., Major General R. S. Taragi, GOC of a division said the civil administration made a formal re quest for the Army help at 4:05 pm.
”On grilling by the participants at a meeting of prominent citizens at his residence on the evening of January 14, Chief Minister Farooq. Abdullah offered to resign in view of the total collapse of the administration during the “rioting” and said “I was kept in the dark by the Administration about the communal violence.
According to Dr Abdullah, the Precisionists were not the aggressors. They would not have brought their women and children along with them if they had bad intentions.
When most of the citizens alleged at the meeting that the “riots” were preplanned, the Chief Minister admitted the fact and promised to take action against the guilty officials for their lapses.
On January 14, Dr. Farooq Abdullah had said the State Government would write to the Chief Justice of India, requesting him to nominate a Judge preferably from the South to conduct the enquiry.
But the Government did not care to honor the commitment. On January 21, a Cabinet meeting decided to appoint Mr. Ansari. No communication was ever sent to the Chief Justice of the Supreme. Court.
The Jammu Chambers of Commerce and the Yuva Shiv Sena announced that all markets would remain closed until the government released “innocent persons” unconditionally.
Complete bandh continued for three days even as Govt., was continuing negotiations with various trade organizations to “sort out the issue”.
The Convener of the Welfare Council, Mr. M.S. Tandon, re quested trades people belonging to the majority community to exercise restraint and urged the administration to take stern action against the murderers, arsonists and looters and not to let off such elements under any pressure.
No action against the guilty officers was taken rather scape goats are being found for these incidents.
Balraj Puri, a noted Hindu jour nalist said: I was present at the Control Room, when the officers telephoned thrice for contingent of police but no police were supplied. It appears that Centers’ conspiracy was working against the Sikhs.
- Tandon stated that in Jammu antisocial elements groups of Chaman Lal Gupta and Dr. Karan Singh are financed by the Chamber of Commerce under Jugal Mahajan/Ram Chand Mahajan also finance the Shiv Sena.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 10, 1989
