I, Lachhman Singh Bhatia s/o S. Banta Singh, aged 47 yrs., R/o RZ/359, Sadh Nagar, Palam Colony, New Delhi-110045, do hereby solemnly affirm and declare on oath as under: -

1.                  That I reside at the aforesaid address and employed with International Airport Authority, Palam Airport, New Delhi.

2.                  That on 1-11-84, at about 9:30 am one of my Mohammedan friend Shri Tufail Ahmed and his wife Nassem Begum who reside a furlong away from my house came running to my house and told us that we should leave the house immediately as a strong mob of about 500 people was moving in the colony and killing Sikhs and setting Sikhs houses and property on fire. I was also told by neighbours that the mob has burnt alive the entire Sikh family (Inder Singh Kapoor and family, popularly known as Kapoor family) in Sadh Nagar, Palam Colony.

3.                  Immediately thereafter I heard that the was mob approaching towards my house. The mob first burnt the house of my neighbour S. Gulzara Singh. The inmates of that house had however, evacuated the house and escaped being burnt alive. Balwan Khokhar  threw some white chemical on Gulzara Singh’s house and set it on fire.

4.                  That the mob was carrying lathis, sariyas, bhallas and this containing kerosene oil etc. It was being lead and directed by: -

                                i.            Balwan Khokhar, resident of Raj Nagar who was leading the mob and was riding a motorcycle. A local Congress leader.

                              ii.            Sham Lal coal merchant and his son Neelu, r/o Sadh Nagar, Palam Colony.

                            iii.            Omi S/o Chhotey Lal, r/o Gali No.16, Sadh Nagar, Palam Colony.

                             iv.            R.L. Pal, r/o Sadh Nagar, Palam Colony – a local Congress (I) worker

5.                  On seeing all this I hurriedly confined myself to the back room of my house wherefrom I could see the mob and their leaders.

6.                  That then the mob attacked my house. Sham Lal Coal Merchant pointed towards my house and shouted that this is a Sikh house and be burnt. R.L. Pal incited the mob that no Sikh should be spared. All Sikhs must be killed and their house burnt. Balwan Khokhar threw some white in my house and ignited the same. As the smoke spread in the rear room also, I tried to escape through the back door. But, somehow a few members of the mob saw me and hit me and my wife with lathis. I got serious head injuries and the left arm of my wife got fractured. But I alongwith my family members  managed to hide in the neighbour’s house belonging to Shri Ramesh. Shri Ramesh and his family helped us to hide beneath gunny sacks in their store room.

7.                  That I personally know the members of the illegal assembly as stated in para four above because as they are Congress (I) workers they used to come to me in elections etc. I myself had been a supporter of Congress (I).

8.                  That I lodged a report with the P.S. Sadar Bazar Delhi Cantt. of the household goods destroyed, looted and burnt by the mob. However the police did not note the name of the accused persons stated above inspite of my repeated insistence. Photocopy of the report lodged is annexed herewith.