I, G.B. Singh s/o Late S. Bhagwan Singh retired from Indian Audit of Accounts Service, aged 61 yrs., r/o B-5/2, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi, do hereby solemnly affirm and state on oath as under: -

1.                  That on the 31^st October, 1984, when it was a little dark, could be around 6 pm. I saw some places of burning clothing under the two trees that I had planted for the comfort of the bus passenger at the bus stop right opposite my house. I was very annoyed and asked my cook Man Singh a Garhwali to go and stop those miscreants from doing this mischief. I wanted to go with him myself also but he restrained me perhaps because he had assessed the situation better than I had. Then from behind the curtain of my drawing room I was able to observe that the burning cloth places were the turbans of the Sikh bus passengers who were being pulled out of buses and being roughed off. I had hoped this frenzy and furry will probably settle down with the burning a few buses and a little arson perhaps but that was not to be as the events unfolded themselves. At that time there was my old mother aged 84, my wife aged forty one, my two sons aged 10 and 12 servants Man Singh and Govind Singh & also a boy called Mann aged about 14-15 the only son of a neighbour Mr. Kataria who lives in B-2/9 on the same road who had come to play with my sons.

2.                  When the situation got worse my wife got in touch with her friend and colleague Mr. S. Ray retired Vice – Chairman of the I.T.C. who promised to send his driver and car to take us to his house 175 Jor Bagh. Mann had left to go to his house just at about that time to walk to his house but half way through he was advised to return since his house was being looted and had been set on fire. I spoken to his mother on the phone who confirmed the happening and we assured her that her son was with us, while we were waiting for Mr. Ray’s Car to arrive.

3.                  In the meantime I rang up the Subhash Tandon at his house and spoke to his wife Asha whom I had known since 1962 when I was Accountant General of Rajasthan and requested her to do whatever she could help us out before the mob comes to our house after finishing its work with B-2/9 – a part of the mob was already advancing towards our house. Soon after we could hear a car in our drive we presumed it was Mr. Ray’s car but it was not. It was my cousin Rani and her husband Brig. Gurdip Singh Commandant of the Kumaon Regimental Center and their daughter Era alongwith the staff car (driver in the uniform). My wife was very upset. Mr. Ray rang up to say that his car could not get through because of the barriers on the roads. Brig. Gurdip Singh had taken shelter with us as he was apprehensive that his staff car would be set on fire. He was on his way to the Cantonment and happening to be passing that way providentially. He got in touch with Army authorities but they took long time to take orders to evacuate him and his family. In the mean time the mob stoned my house and grappled with the driver in the military uniform and said why he was giving protection to Sikhs in this house. He told them he did not know that the house belonged to the Sikhs, but they told him, we know Col. Jagjit Singh lives. Mr. G.B. Singh the gentleman with one arm stays downstairs. I observed the mob from behind the curtain in the front bed room facing the main gate from a distance of 20 feet that mob consisted of youngsters who were fairly well dressed and smart and obviously they knew their way about and knew of the occupants of various houses. They were definitely not poor working class. After smashing the front doors and windows and threatening to return the next day for they did not wish to burn the army car which was standing in front in the drive. Then, moved further towards Mr. Bakshi’s house B-5/9, which was burnt and looted.

4.                  I got no help or message from Mr. Tandon’s residence or from the Police Station at Vinay Nagar, which I kept on ringing as per advise of Mrs. Tandon who had promised to send a message to the Police Station also.

5.                  That night I took shelter in my neighbour’s house (Mr. Malik retired ICS Office – a Bengali Officer of Assam Cadre who and his family were most hard – pressed).

6.       That next day when I visited my house there was some boys at the right of the taxi stand which is opposite my house on the other side of the road. They had tins and rags with them. That day a gentleman with a scooter & helmet rang my bell but I asked my servants not to attend I had never seen him before nor I have seen him since. My family alongwith Brig. Gurdip Singh family and my neighbour’s son Mann were evacuated after midnight by the Army to the cantonment and I stayed with my neighbours for the next two days. When my neighbours were threatened that their house will be burnt if they discovered that they were giving me shelter – inspite of the protests of my neighbour I came back to my own house to avoid danger to their life and property. I was evacuated with the help of neighbours and an Air Force Officer to the Cantonment