Affidavit submitted before Misra Commission

          AFFIDAVIT OF S. AMAR KAUR W/O S. JOGINDER SINGH AGED ABOUT 40 YEARS, R/O I-32, WEST SAGARPUR OPPOSITE JANAKPURI NEAR JANAK CINEMA, NOW AT RELIEF CAMP, HARI NAGAR TOWER, NEAR TILAK NAGAR, NEW DELHI. 

            I, the above named deponent do hereby solemnly affirm and state as under:

1.                  That I alongwith my family was living as a tenant at the premised I-32, West Sagarpur, New Delhi, opposite Janakpuri near Janak Cinema, New Delhi.

2.                  I, my husband Joginder Singh, my sons Jasbir Singh (Bittoo), Sukhdev Singh aged 18 years and Shahid Singh aged 21 years were residing at the above premises.  There were two-three other Sikh families near our house but they had run away to safety on 1st November itself.  My husband Joginder Singh was a Carpenter-Contractor and used to take contracts of doors and windows in bungalows.  My sons used to assist him in this work.

3.                  Till 2-11-1984 my children who were both ‘Monas’ alongwith other persons in the locality used to patrol in the streets and nothing untoward happened.  On the night intervening 2nd and 3rd November, 1984 all were fast asleep on their houses due to being tried by waking on the nights preceding.  At about 4 AM early in the morning a mob of about 250 people armed with lathis, kirpans and sariyas came there shouting loudly and on hearing the noise all of us got up. We had locked our house from outside and had at night entered the house through window.  In order to avoid being seen by the mob we hid ourselves behind the window curtains. At that time, I, my husband Joginder Singh and my younger son Bittoo alias Sukhdev alias Jasbir Singh were in the house.  My elder son Shahid Singh had been sent by me on 2.11.1994 to the house of one Bimla whose family is known to us for the last several years.  They are Brahamins by caste. Jasbir had also gone with Shahid Singh but unfortunately he had returned on 2.11.1984 itself so as to be with his father in case of need.

4.                  Kishan of West Sagarpur who has a small provision shop and is also engaged in the supply of ice of various shops and is known as ‘Barafwala’ and one Pratap who is a Scheduled Caste (Chamar) and is pradhan of (probably) Sagarpur East, were two persons with the mob whom I recognized and had named them before the Police but no action has been taken against them so far.

5.                  First of all the mob broke the window panes and windows of the house and jumped inside.  They also broke the door but the door could not fully open as it was locked.  After breaking open the windows they shouted that sardars were hiding in this house also.  The mob asked us to go out.  My son Jasbir Singh deceased pleaded with the mob that he was a ‘Mona’ and not a Sikh but they did not listen and said that even if he was a ‘Mona’ he must come out.  My husband Joginder Singh told them that they may kill him but they should spare his son.  Our entreaties had no effect on the mob and we were forced to jump out of the windows.  Jasbir Singh jumped first followed by me and my husband last of all.  Jasbir was given a kripan blow on the head and when he fell down he was belabored badly with lathis, sariyas and kirpans.  They then pounced upon my husband Joginder Singh and beat him up.  Somebody from the mob shouted there was no kerosene oil.  Then somebody brought a tine of kerosene oil from some house and burnt my house.  I pulled my son Jasbir Singh from the place where he was lying injured and embraced him.  The mob snatched him from me and threw him away mercilessly.  I was pulled from my hair, given lathi and saria blows on various parts of my body and thrown near an electric poll nearby.  In an attempt to save my son from being burnt, I twice pulled him to me and pleaded with mob to spare him and that they (my husband and my son) had been almost murdered and they should not be burnt and that I would cremate them myself but they did not listen.  The mob took the clothes, cots and whatever they could lay their hands on, on my husband Joginder Singh, poured kerosene oil on him and burnt him.  Jasbir and Joginder Singh were still alive when they were burnt.  Kerosene oil was put on Jasbir and he was also burnt.  They were all standing in the form of a circle and shouting obscene abuses.  Except for Pratap and Kishan named above I think the rest of them were outsiders.  I pleaded with them that they should at least leave the clothes for my wearing but they said still there was time that I sit on the burning dead bodies and that they would pour some kerosene oil on me also and burn me.  They broke the radio, the fan, the watches, utensils and threw them all in the fire.  I had Rs.16,000/- in cash and 20 tolas of gold lying in an attache case which we had collected for the impending marriage of my elder son Shahid Singh.  These were looted by the mob.

6.                  My son deceased Jasbir Singh used to perform the role of Sita in Ramlila and therefore he was popularly known as Sita. The news went around that Sita and his father had been killed. People from the locality came later and consoled me. On learning that people were moving to Hari Nagar C-Block Gurdwara, I also went there at about 10 AM almost limping. Shahid Singh my elder son came to me at the C-Block Gurdwara Hari Nagar Camp 7 days later and we lived together in a tent.

7.                  I have been alloted a house at Tilak Vihar and we go there off and on but we are afraid of living there. One day I was with my son in the camp when 2-3 police personnel came there asking for Shahid Singh. Next day, the police came to the camp. At about 5/6 pm, my son Shahid Singh was sitting with some people in a tent. A police van was standing outside. They caught hold of Shahid Singh and also asked me to go with them. I told them that we would not go unless Avtar Singh Hit Sahib (Incharge of the camp) told us to do so. Gian Kaur, a lady doctor persuaded the police not to take us to the police van and that they would send us next day wherever desired. Hit Sahib also came there and he was able to persuade the police to leave us that day.

8.                  Next morning I had gone to Khyala to see my husband’s Guruji. At about 9 am one man from the camp came to me at Khyala and told me that police had taken my son Shahid Singh at about 6 am. Next evening some body took me to Lt. Gen. Aurora who telephoned some people and the evening after that Shahid Singh and another boy Harjit Singh who had also been taken alongwith him, were released from Red Fort and they reached the camp.

9.      The police is now trying to involve my son in the transistor bomb case at the instance of Kishan and Pradhan of Sagarpur because they had intended to kill all my male family members and could not tolerate my elder son being alive.

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