‘Two years have drifted into the dark caverns of history since the horrid holocaust of November, 1984. Yet the memory of places where civilization had disintegrated and innocence was disrobed and dishonored in a diabolic frenzy of communal hatred and personal vendetta, persists vividly enough to make even the most stoic heart bleed in pain and anguish. The poignant irony of the much talked about “healing touch” in the context of the contempt that the Delhi rulers have so arrogantly exhibited for elementary sense of justice makes it all the more tragic. Not a single perpetrator of the ghoulish crimes has so far been either arrested or charge sheeted. On the contrary, men indicted by the Civil Rights investigative committees for their role in aiding and abetting the plundering mobs, have been elevated to positions of extraordinary power and privileges.
In their anxiety to teach Sikhs a lesson, the rulers have so vitiated the atmosphere that killing and torturing a Sikh has come to be regarded as a patriotic duty and national obligation. No tears are shed when innocent Sikh youths re picked up from their homes and taken to the Indo-Pak border to be hunted like wild rabbits. No political party or social organization has paused to ponder over the daily mounting atrocities in Punjab. Rather there is unconcealed exultation at the Nazi behaviour of the security forces. Killers of Sikhs are honoured and rewarded with medals and lavishly entertained by members of the Shiv Sena, RSS and other Hindu ‘organizations. Congress (I) has become synonymous with communalism and is looked upon as the Chief patron by all the fundamentalist Hindu Senas and Sangs.
‘What destiny can Sikh have in such a hostile climate is not difficult to visualize especially in view of the wholly irrational attitude of the Punjab Hindus. Instead of cementing the cultural and social ties with Sikhs, they identify themselves with the Hindu majority outside Punjab, They disowned their mother tongue in an effort to cling to the apron strings of Hindi, They feel no compunctions in opposing economic interests of Punjab and supporting the baseless claims of Haryana and Rajasthan. Punjab Hindus are more keen to make (Chandigarh as the capital of Haryana than Haryanvi’s themselves. All Punjab Hindu politicians and bureaucrats, especially those settled in Chandigarh and Delhi, have developed a powerful lobby that deems it a religious duty to oppose Punjab claims in general and Sikh demands in particular. In fact, the Punjab problem is the logical outcome of the anti Sikh climate generated by Arya Samaj Protagonists. Consequently no lasting solution can be found so long the poison injected into the psyche of Punjab Hindus is not completely washed out.
Sikhs have lost trust in the bonafides of Punjab Hindus. They feel betrayed and cheated. It is for the Hindus to regain the Sikh confidence. They can partially redeem themselves in Sikh eyes by forcing the Central government to punish the culprits responsible for the Delhi holocaust. They must insist on the removal of men like HLK.L. Bhagat and Jagdish Tytler from the Cabinet and their public trial, It is unlikely that Punjabi Hindus would show the required courage and straight forwardness to undo their own follies. Under the circumstances, Sikhs will have to fend for themselves. To reburnish their destiny and to defeat the sinister designs of Delhi Sikhs will have to depend upon their own moral and spiritual fiber. They will have to ensure that their struggle for justice and freedom is not hijacked by unprincipled and politically ambitious self-seeker’s.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 31, 1986
