The Fascist Offensive In Punjab - Anti Sikh Shiv Sena

[Nalwa]

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The Fascist Offensive in Punjab

A MISCHIEF AT NAKODAR

FEBRUARY 2, 1986

INTRODUCTION

The news of burning of sacred "Birs" of Guru Granth

Sahib in Guru Arjun Dev Gurdwara in Guru

Nanak Pura Mohalla, of Nakodar in Jalandhar Distri

ct spread like wild fire on February 2, 1986.

There was a spontaneous strike to protest against th

e desecration of the holy Granth in the town that

day. On February 3, 1986, lawyers stayed away

Courts and students abstained from educational

institutions. On a call by the Akali Dals' a prot

est march was organised jointly by the Sikh and

Hindu communities. Citizens, including women and child

ren participated in the procession. A strike

was observed in the town

[Nalwa]

Shiv Sena plans march

The Punjab Hindu Shiv Sena wanted to take out a procession but the authorities thought it prudent

to clamp curfew at 7:00 PM on February 3. Baba

Joginder Singh and the Shiv Sena leader, Rama-

kant Jalota, arrived at Nakodar the same day but the Baba left the town at 5:30 PM The same night

the police arrested 12 Sena activists who were

violating curfew restrictions and moving around

with unsheathed swords.

Earlier, on February 3, some Sikh youths staged

a dharna (protest) outside the Police station and

the Bus Stand demanding the arrest of local Shiv

Sena leader Mr. Romesh Chopra alias Khan, a

vegetable commission agent, who, they alleged, w

as responsible for the fire. At about 4.00 PM a

large number of villagers joined the youths and

sieged the police station and demanded the arrest

of the alleged arsonists.

The District Magistrate, Mr. S. C. Aggarwal and

the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Mr.

Izhar Alam rushed to the town

with Police re-enforcement. There

was tension in the town. It ulti-

mately led to firing by the Police on February 4,

1986, killing at least four persons and injuring

many more, for which the Punjab Government announced a judicial inquiry. The All India Sikh

Students Federation (AISSF) rejected the inquiry a

nd called it as "a mere eyewash." The Federation

demanded registration of criminal cases against

the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG)

and police officers responsible for killing the people. They denied the official version of "four

deaths" and added that many mo

re persons had died and over tw

o dozen injured. The Federation

observed "Black Day" on February 8, 1986, and

asked the Chief Minister to resign on the ground

of his failure to control the police force which had killed "innocent Sikh youths."

Officers shifted, transferred

In the meantime, the Punjab Government

announced the suspension of Mr. Surjit Singh,

Superintendent of Police (Detective), and Mr

. Gopal Singh Ghuman, Deputy Superintendent of

Police (DSP) Nakodar. Mr. Harinderpal Singh, Inspector Police and Mr. Izhar Alam were

transferred. Mr. Balwant Singh, Finance Minister

of Punjab observed that the police had behaved

"as during Congress (1) rule."

Mr. Balwant Singh promised that the culprits responsible for burning the "Birs" of the holy

Granth would be brought to book, no matter to which

community or religion they belonged. Earlier,

Jathedar Harcharan Singh Mahalon, Mr. Kuldip

Singh Wadala and Mr. Surjit Singh Minhas sat in

dharna in front of the Police Station demanding the arrest of the culprits and a judicial inquiry into

the police firing. The situation in Shahkot became

tense when some Shiv Sena workers, too,

gathered near the Police Station. The

police, however, managed to disperse them.

On February 6, the Punjab Government transferred

the DIG, Mr. G. S. Bhullar, as a sequel to the

incidents at Nakodar. Curfew continued in the to

wn but all the persons who had been arrested for

violation of the curfew were released. The Deputy

Commissioner, S. S. Aggarwal, declared that

cases against 20 Sikh youths under Section 307 IP

C (Indian Penal Code) were being withdrawn.

However, Mr. R. K. Jalota and Mr. S. K. Sarwal

of Shiv Sena welcomed the judicial inquiry and

condemned the transfer of Mr. Alam and three other Police officers and demanded suspension of

the Sub divisional Magistrate (SDM), Nakodar, Mr. Surjit Singh Rajput. They held him

responsible for the disturbances in the town.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) constituted a two-member committee

comprising Mr. Kabal Singh, senior Vice Presi

dent, and Mr. Kuldip Singh Wadala, an Akali MLA

from Nakodar, to inquire into the incident. They

concluded that the Police officers were

responsible for mishandling the situation and they

should be punished. They said, “It was an act of

"Anti-Panthic" forces that wanted to create a gulf between Hindus and the Sikhs”.

Dr. Baldev Parkash, President Punjab Bhartiya Janat

a Party (BJP) said in a statement, that the

burning of "Birs" of Guru Granth Sahib was a

sacrilegious act and the culprits should be punished.

Whosoever did it, have committed a grave offence

to disrupt the peace and communal harmony.

He further warned the people to beware of

the forces that wanted to jeopardise the communal

amity in the State.

Two views on fire

Many people thought that the fire incident was accident

al. However, many others were of the view

that it was the handiwork of mischievous elem

ents. The International Human Rights Organisation

constituted a 5-member Sub-Committee headed by Mr. Dev Raj Sharma, Advocate, to enquire into

the circumstances leading to the incident as

well as its aftermath. Other members were Mr.

Gurbhajan Singh Gill, (Retd DSP), Mr. H. L. Seth

i, Advocate, Mr. D. S. Gill, Advocate, and Mr.

Bhalinder Singh, Advocate.

The Committee visited Nakodar and went to the Gurdwa

ra where the five sacred "Birs" were

burnt. It also visited other places including Kapur

thala Road area where the

Police had resorted to

the firing; the Saw Mill of Natha Singh wherein one

person was alleged to have been killed; the

residence of Mr. Pritu, a Balmiki from two dead

bodies of Sikhs were discovered and the Sherpur

Bridge and village including a few farm houses; where

the police allegedly beat up and arrested the

villagers from their homes. The team also met th

e SDM, the Electricity Board Staff, advocates and

many other local citizens.

I. B. man visits Nakodar

The Committee examined Mr. Sukhdev Singh

Sandhu. Mr. Ravinder Singh, Mr. Sudarshan

Singh Bains, Mr. Varinderpal Singh and Mr. C J Jain, Advocates; Mr. Romesh Chopra alias Khan,

Mr. Mohan Singh Sectional Officer (SO) of the Punjab Works Department (PWD), Mr. Swaran

Singh, Mr. Tejinder Singh, Mr. Jatinder Singh,

Mr. Gurinder Singh, Mr. Pritu Balmiki, Mr.

Bachittar Singh, Mr. Mohinder Singh, Mr. Sohan

Singh, Bhai Sukhchain Singh Granthi, Mr.

Simratpal Singh, Mrs. Gurdip Kaur wife of the Granthi, Mr. Prem Sagar, Municipal

Commissioner, Piara Singh, Ex-President Gurdwa

ra and Mr. Vijay Nayar of the Shiv Sena.

Observations of several other persons who did not wa

nt to disclose their identity were also recorded.

A witness claimed that on February 2, he saw Mr. Umrao Singh, a Congress (1) leader along with

Mr. Ranjit Singh Bhinder, a DSP of Intelligence Bureau (IB), getting down from a jeep. They

entered the house of Pundit Narinder Nath Bhutar

a alias "Nindo." Pundit Nindo is said to be a

patron of the Shiv Sena and a close confidant of

Mr. Darbara Singh, the former Chief Minister of

Punjab. Mr. Nindo had also acted as Election in-charge of Mr. Darbara Singh in the past. After Mr.

Umrao Singh and the IB person left the town the

Shiv Sena workers from outside started reaching

the town.

According to Mr. Mohan Singh, (SO, PWD), when the news of the influx of Sena workers

reached the villages, about 40-50 persons reached

the outskirts of Nakodar where the DSP of

Nakodar, Mr. Gopal Singh Ghuman advised them to

go back. He told them that they could not

be allowed to go inside the town due to curfe

w restrictions and assured them that the Gurdwaras

were safe. Upon which they returned to their homes.

Mr. Ramesh Chopra alias Khan admitted that he

was regarded as a prime suspect from the very

first day as he had been informed by Mr. Prem

Sagar, the Municipal Commissioner (MC) the same

evening. He added that the Sikhs had given an u

ltimatum to the police to arrest him by 6.00 PM on

February 3. He had therefore, collected Shiv

Sena activists in Moha

lla Tandona and took out a

procession at 6.30 PM in a show of his strength wh

ile raising inflammatory slogans, "Jai Shiv

Shakti, Jai Trishul." The administration imposed curfew restrictions immediately.

Mr. Romesh Chopra denied that Mr. R. K. Jalota had stayed with Pundit N. N. Bhutara, he did not

allow Bhutara's entry into the Mandir Devi Tala

b, the headquarters of the Shiv Sena and that no

activists from outside, except Jalota and Sarwal,

had entered the town. He further denied his

hand in the fire incident and said that he held

the Holy Granth in reverence. He alleged that Mr.

Jaswant Singh, Jathedar Iqbal Singh, and Mr. Ra

vinder Singh, Advocate, instigated the villagers

against him.

On the other hand, Mr. Ravinder Singh, Advocate, a

lleged that the Sikhs suspected Mr. Chopra to

be a culprit and the authorities had connived with the culprits.

Accusing finger at Darbara-Balwant

A few senior Hindu Advocates of the Nakodar Bar Association revealed that on the night of

February 7, 1986, a similar incident took place in

the Shankar village Gurdwara where the culprit

had been allegedly captured re

d-handed and handed over to the

Police. He was said to be a Hindu

from UP in the garb of Sikh and was let off.

Mr. Umrao Singh and Mr. Swaran Singh belong to

this village. Similar incidents took place in th

e Mandirs of Sarinh village and Nakodar.

According to them, this type of activity could

be the handiwork of none else than those who were

active on the eve of operation "Blue Star."

But some Sikh advocates of the Nakodar Bar, on the other hand, blamed Mr. Balwant Singh for all

the trouble at Nakodar.

THE GURDWARA INCIDENT

Gurdwara, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, is centrally located

in Guru Nanakpura Mohalla of Nakodar where

the five "Birs" of Guru Granth Sahib were

burnt due to fire in the forenoon of February 2.

Granthi, Bhai Sukhchain Singh, who lives on the Gurdwara premises along with his family, looks

after the Gurdwara.

The Gurdwara has two gates, one facing the Gurdwara

Hall and the other towards the left side of

the Hall. The residence of the Granthi is on the ri

ght side of the main gate while its kitchen is on

the left side of the gate. The "Sukhasan" room is on

the right side of the half opening in the veranda

that connects the room with the side gate th

rough a passage behind the Hall. The "Sukhasan" room

is not visible from inside the kitchen, the wall being windowless. If any person comes through the

side gate, uses the rear passage and enters the

"Sukhasan" room, causes mischief and returns, he

cannot be seen either from the residence or from the kitchen.

No dhoop or jyoti

The Granthi opens (Parkash) one "bir" of the Ho

ly Granth on the "Diwan" inside the "Sukhasan"

room at 5:30 PM daily, while four "birs" in closed position (Sukhasan) are kept on the Niwar bed in

the room. This "parkash" is done for devotees who wa

nt the recitation individually. Thereafter, the

Granthi opens two "birs" in the main hall for

the routine recitation. No, "Dhoop" or "Jyoti" is

inside that "Sukhasan" room.

On the day of occurrence, February 2, 1986, Bh

ai Sukhchain Singh conducted his routine duties

and left the Gurdwara to perform "Anand Ka

raj" (Marriage ceremony) at the residence of one

Sadhu Singh on the Noormahal Road. According to th

e Granthi, he placed the Gurdwara keys

inside the "Sukhasan" room at 8.45 PM as usual and left the place.

Mrs. Gurmit Kaur, a widow and a devotee of Guru Nanakpura Mohalla who lives close to the

Gurdwara, was seen cleaning the "Sukhasan" Room at 9.15 PM by many devotees of the locality. It

was her routine work.

At about 9.45 PM, Mrs. Gurdip Kaur, spouse of

the Granthi, while going towards the kitchen

heard cracking of glass panes and saw flames leaping out of the window of the "Sukhasan" Room.

She ran outside and raised the alarm. Local resi

dents rushed to the spot and threw water to

extinguish the fire.

The administration and the police were informed. The SDM Mr. Surjit Singh Rajput, and the DSP,

Mr. Gopal Singh Ghuman, reached and inspected th

e spot. By the time the Granthi, too, came back.

The "Bir" that lay on the Diwan and open on page

792, was largely burnt. The Niwar bed became a

skeleton whereas the Diwan was half burnt. The "Romalas" were also burnt. The room, windows

and the door were damaged due to mounting flam

es of the fire. The mat flooring and cloth sheets

were also burnt.

The persons and the officers present there, ruled out

the possibility of any accident or negligence.

Case FIR (First Information Report) No 50 date

d 2.2.1986 under Section 295/439 IPC was registered

at 10.35 PM in Police Station Nakodar at the instance of Mrs. Gurdip Kaur.

Accident or negligence?

It was decided by the persons present at the Gurdwara including members of the management

Committee that the burnt "Birs" would be taken to Sri Goindwal Sahib for the last rites. But some

Akali leaders including Mr. Ravinder Singh, Advocat

e and Jathedar Iqbal Singh advised against

such a move. This decision contributed to the

deterioration of the already tense situation.

At about 5.00 PM, the SSP Mohd Izhar Alam accompanied by the Additional Deputy

Commissioner (ADC), Mr. Darbara Singh "Guru," inspected the spot and without any further

enquiries concluded that the episode was accident

al and the fire was caused due to negligence on

the part of the Granthi. Most of the local citi

zens did not agree with this police version and

demanded identification of and stern action against the guilty as it was a case of desecration of the

Holy Granth Sahib. But the SSP remained adaman

t on his stand. It resulted in flaring up of the

already tense situation. By the nightfall, the news

of burning the Holy Granth and the inaction of the

police reached the surrounding villages.

The Sub-Committee of the IHRO, inspected the Gurd

wara premises and examined several residents

of the Mohalla including Hindus.

The committee after careful inspection of the "Sukhasan" room and eliciting the view of experts has

reached the conclusion that the fire could not be

the result of an accident as there was no short

circuit, the electric wire and fuse were intact.

The committee also does not subscribe to the

negligence theory because there was no "Dhoop" or

"Jyoti" lit nor there was any candle. There was

no failure in the supply of electricity that day. This

conclusion is also warranted by the assertions of

Mr. R. K. Gupta, in charge Sub-Division, 132 K. V. Station and Mr. Amolak Singh, Sub Divisional

Officer (SDO) of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), on the subject. According to them

there was neither any cut in the supply of electri

city nor was there any complaint regarding power

failure from Guru Nanakpura Mohalla on February 2, 1986.

C O N C L U S I O N

Having ruled out the accident and negligence theories as explained above, the committee is

inclined to believe that the fire was man-lit po

ssibly with the aim of creating mischief. It is

inescapable for the committee to conclude that

a communal clash, was the object behind the

mischief. This conclusion is supported by th

e circumstances. The residents reported to the

committee that similar incidents took place at Shankar and Sarinh villages as well as in Nakodar

itself where mischief was attempted at two Gurd

waras and one Mandir before the Nakodar inci-

dent.

The committee is very much concerned and is eager

to know the real reason for the presence of an

Intelligence Officer, Mr. Ranjit Singh Bhinder along with Mr. Umrao Singh, a Congress (1)

leader, at the home of a patron of the Shiv Sena, soon after the incident.

The committee was intrigued to hear from Mr. Ravinder Singh, a

close friend of Mr. Balwant Singh, Finance Minister, Punjab, that Mr. Romesh Chopra of Shiv Sena

could be the culprit. It is interesting that Mr.

Ravinder Singh was instrumental in reversing the local

Gurdwara Committee's move to take the burnt "B

irs" to Goindwal Sahib for the last rites.

A few lawyers of Nakodar claimed that Mr. Umra

o Singh and Mr. Balwant Singh were very

close to each other although they belonged to

two different political camps. Mr. Umrao Singh

contested from Nakodar Constituency and was defeat

ed by Mr. Kuldip

Singh Wadala. Mr. Wadala

and Mr. Balwant Singh are known to belong to two

factions within the Akali Party. Due to a

combination of political and other interests,

Mr. Umrao Singh, Mr. Darbara Singh and Mr.

Balwant Singh are stated to be close to each other.

A few senior Hindu Advocates, who do not want to be

identified, are of the view that Mr. Darbara

Singh's role in igniting the communal fire c

ould not be beyond the realm of suspicion due to

expertise available to persons like him, and because

they were responsible for the very elements

who had thrown cow tails in mandirs (temples)

and packets of cigarettes in Gurdwara Sarovars

(Sacred Pool) on the eve of the operation "blue star."

THE FIRING INCIDENT

On February 3, 1986, a protest march, in response

to a call given by Akali Dal, started at 10.00 PM

from Gurdwara Guru Arjan Dev Ji in Guru Na

nakpura Mohalla. Sikh students of all the three

local colleges also joined the march. It was orga

nised after the police failed to apprehend the

culprits. Both the communities participated, in

cluding the local advocates who in addition

observed a strike that day. Akali workers a da

y earlier had given a call through the public address

system for the march.

Mr. Kuldip Singh Wadala along with some local leaders led the march. Five Singhs carried

unsheathed Kirpans in their hands as a show of tradition.

Mr. Kuldip Singh Wadala left the march when

it reached Sabzimandi. The procession reached

Ambedkar Chowk shouting slogans.

The murderers of Guru Granth Sahib should be a

rrested, the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib

shall not be tolerated.

A clash averted

According to Mr. Gurdarshan Singh Bains, Advo

cate, who was at Ambedkar Chowk just near his

residence, when the protest march of about 1,000 pe

rsons reached the Chowk, a small rally was held

in which some Sikh youths including students demande

d the arrest of "Khan" in connection with

the Gurdwara fire incidents. About 700/800 Sh

iv Sena workers who had gathered in Tandona

Mohalla adjoining the Chowk, rushed

towards the Chowk raising slogans.

The counter-slogan by the Sikh youth was: "Kha

listan Zindabad." The local citizens started

dispersing from the Chowk while the processionist

s mostly students and villages proceeded towards

the police station and the Shiv Sena workers towa

rds Mandir Devi Talab. Mr. Bains testified that

Shiv Sena workers were armed w

ith unsheathed swords and lathis.

When the procession reached the

Bus Stand, according to Mr. Ravinder Singh, Advocate, there

were about 200 Sikh youths who held a rally there.

They were demanding the arrest of Mr. Romesh

Chopra again. From there they sat on "Dharna" in front of the Police Station and gave an

ultimatum to the police that in case Mr. Romesh Chopra was not called for interrogation by 6.00

PM they would decide the next course of action

next morning at Gurdwara Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

In the meantime, Mr. Ravinder Singh said- Mr. Kuld

ip Singh Wadala, Mr. Ajit Singh Khattar, Mr.

Charan Singh and Mr. Jaswant Singh, Circle Jathedars requested the SSP and ADC present in the

Police Station to round up Mr. Romesh Chopra so that the inflamed tempers of the Sikhs were

pacified. But the SSP remained adamant and

asserted that he had summoned more police forces

from Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and other districts to deal with the situation firmly.

SSP's adamant attitude

Baba Joginder Singh, too talked to the SSP and ADC

at Gurdwara Guru Arjan Dev Ji at 5.00 PM

but to no avail. Babaji, later pacified the Sikhs

and requested the Hindus present there to help the

identification of the culprits so that the whole

community was not blamed for the act of one

individual. He later left Nakodar.

At 6:00 PM, two Motor Cyclists, in plain clothes,

visited Mohalla Tandona, according to Mr. Bains.

They watched the activities of the Sena activ

ists and brought police along with CRPF who dis-

persed the Sena workers, soon afterwards the curfew was clamped.

Mr. Bains testified: "Mr. Ramakant Jalota and Mr

. R K Sarwal, Shiv Sena leaders along with a

large number of their members and workers fro

m outside the Mohalla Tandona area reached there

before the curfew was imposed. On February 4,

1986, Villagers collected in the Malri Sahib

Gurdwara. About 40/50 persons including Mr.

Sukhdev Singh Sandhu, Advocate, reached Malri

Bridge at about 10.00 PM. By the time Baba

Joginder Singh and Subedar

Harcharan Singh Rode

arrived at the bridge, where the police did not a

llow them to go to the to

wn as there were curfew

restrictions. Babaji then appealed to

the people gathered there to disperse.

At about 10.30 PM about 100 persons

led by Nihang Pargat Singh of Rauli village entered the town

from Mehatpur side escorted by a Sikh Inspector

of the Punjab Police and the CRPF. This Jatha

reached near Ambedkar Chowk without any hindrance inspite of the curfew restrictions.

About 100 workers of Shiv Sena led by Mr. R. K.

Jalota, Mr. Sarwal and Mr. Romesh Chopra alias

Khan, according to Mr. Sudarshan Singh Bains, Advocate, who lives near the Chowk, came out of

Mohalla Tandona. Both the parties raised slogans

. The CRPF intervened near the shop of Pundit

Narinder Nath Bhutara and the Sikh Jatha (group) was then escorted out of this town.

A Nihang's emergence

This Jatha reached Sherpur Bridge where villagers

had already collected. By 2.30 PM more than

500 persons had gathered there. No one w

as leading the assembly. Mr. Sukhdev Singh Sandhu,

Advocate, was also present there. He testified that Mr. Jaswinder Singh, President, Akali Dal,

Youth Wing, Mr. Paramjit Singh Malhi, Secretary, District AISSF Giani Roshan Singh of United

Akali Dal (UAD) and Mr. Harminder Singh Sa

ndhu, Convenor, AISSF Lyalpur Khalsa College,

Jalandhar, addressed the assembly. Mr. Sandhu de

nied that any provocative speech was made. All

witnesses blamed the Administration for not taking t

actful steps to defuse the tense situation and

condemned the officers who refused to talk to the Sikhs.

Mr. Sandhu deposed that he along with Mr. Bach

ittar Singh, Mr. Mohinder Singh and two others

were authorised by the persons present, to requ

est the authorities to assure the Sikhs that "Khan"

would be apprehended, and to a

llow five persons, to see (have "Darshan" of) the burnt holy "Birs"

at the Gurdwara so that, on return, they could

take the people in confidence about the damage done

to the Gurdwara. But the officers did not budge.

Then Nihang Pargat Singh told the gathering at 3.

30 PM that they had been through the bazaars,

no body would object to their peacefully proceedi

ng to the Gurdwara for "Darshan," according to

Mr. Sandhu.

Processionists allowed

On this assurance, the Police

present at the Bridge gave way to the people who peacefully

proceeded towards the town a

nd reached near Natha Singh Saw Mills where police and Para-

military forces were deployed in strength. The force was led by Mr. Ashwini Kumar Sharma, SP

(Detective) and Mr. Jaskirat Singh, Inspector, Station House Officer (SHO), etc.

Mr. Sandhu stated that at this spot, the forces after

throwing 2/3 tear gas shells started indiscriminate

firing without any warning. The processsionists were unarmed. One Ravinder Singh of Litran, a

close relative of Jathedar Harcharan Singh Mahal

on, was killed on the spot. Mr. Harminder Singh

Sandhu rushed towards the Saw Mill to escape fro

m Police fire, where Inspector Jaskirat Singh

challenged him. Sandhu was about six feet inside

the Saw Mill. He stopped. Mr. Jaskirat Singh

fired at point-blank range with his service re

volver hitting the victim's face. He fell down. Mr.

Amarjit Singh Dhillon of AISSF Jalandhar rushed to his colleague's rescue and to offer him a glass

of water. Mr. Jaskirat Singh prevented Mr

. Dhillon from going near the injured young person.

Both the young persons were arrested.

Fire is opened

The people ran helter-skelter. Jasbir Singh Jassi, gunman

of DSP Nakodar, opened a burst with his

sten-gun. Just after, two dead bodies were lifted by the people from near the house of Priti

Balmiki where one bullock was killed

and the other disabled with bullets.

The police, para-military forces and the mounted po

lice continued firing while chasing the people

up to Sherpur and Hussainpur villages. They ra

ided and searched the houses of Sherpur village

and broke open the doors. They gave severe beatings

with rifle butts and lathis to whoever came in

their way. They arrested more than 20 pers

ons from Sherpur village including Mr. Sukhdev Singh

Sandhu, Advocate, who was sitting with Jathedar Iqbal Singh, in his house.

The mounted police did not stop firing even at the farm housed 2 KM away from the place of

occurrence. According to the residents of Sher

pur village a reign of terror was let loose. They

showed several spent bullet cartridges, said to have

been fired by the Mounted Police in the fields

near Hussainpur. They also showed bullet marks on

the walls of the houses of the other side of the

village. The police registered a case FIR No 54 dated 4.2.86 under Sections

307/362/427/332/188/148/149, 511 of IPC and 25/27 of

Arms act, at Police Station (PS) Nakodar

against the victims of Police high-handedness.

THE FINDINGS

According to FIR No 54 lodged by Inspector, Jaskirat Singh, SHO, PS Nakodar, the Police

received information at 1.00 PM that 250/300 arme

d persons after hijacking a Bus were coming to

Sherpur bridge to enter the curfew bound town

. Under the command of SP (Operations) Mr.

Ashwani Kumar Sharma, a big Police force including Mr. Gopal Singh Ghuman, DSP, Patel of

CRPF, Hardial Singh, Inspector, Jalandhar along with

other officers of the District rushed to the

Sherpur Bridge along with tear gas squads and

the forces of BSF (Border Security Force) and

CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force).

Concoction by SHO

According to the Police Inspector, Jaskirat Singh,

700/800 persons armed with unsheathed Kirpans

and pick-axes collected at the Sherpur Bridge.

Mr. Harminder Singh Sandhu, Mr. Paramjit Singh

Malhi, Mr. Roshan Singh Mehmowal, and Mr

. Sukhdev Singh Sandhu, Advocate, were also

present and performed "ardas" (prayer).

"Today by disobeying the Curfew order we will oppo

se the police and by entering the town we will

take revenge on the other party and just as we

had snatched rifles from the youth workers in

Amritsar, we will snatch them from the Police."

The FIR further recorded that the police gave

a warning through the public address system and

resorted to a lathi charge, fired from riot guns

and exploded tear gas shells, but to no avail. Rather

the mob started firing at the police party and thereafter the police and the CRPF opened fire in self-

defence killing three unidentified persons and

injuring eight on the spot. Mr. Harminder Singh

Sandhu and Giani Roshan Singh were amongst the inju

red. I too fired two shots from my service

revolver and arrested 14 persons from the spot.

After site inspection and meeti

ng persons connected with the incident, the Committee is of the

view that the contents of the Police version cont

ained in the FIR are a sheer concoction and is far

removed from the reality.

The persons participating in the procession wanted

to have "Darshan" of the burnt "birs". They

were peaceful, non-violent and un-armed.

[ghettosikh]

i think non violent approach against shiv sena is piointless they get away with so much time for eye for an eye

[Singh559]

Non violence must be exercised. They're paid to cause problems. There are other ways to deal with them.

[N30S1NGH]

The question i have is as skeptic, why post a news from 1986? This could inadvertenly/advertently finger youths flames high emotions in youths, as singh559 veer ji rightly said, Non violence must be exercised. If there is recent news regarding this sure post it away, and we all sikhs should be concerned regarding how to resolve on going issues and solve issues within legal frame work.

[Nalwa]

The question i have is as skeptic, why post a news from 1986? This could inadvertenly/advertently finger youths flames high emotions in youths, as singh559 veer ji rightly said, Non violence must be exercised. If there is recent news regarding this sure post it away, and we all sikhs should be concerned regarding how to resolve on going issues and solve issues within legal frame work.

The purpose for posting this post is to young Sikhs know what was happening in Punjab after 1984 and how Hindu radicals were provoking Sikhs . Shiv Sena challenging Sikhs is not a new thing .

[proud2bejatt]

Lions make the law they don't follow it NeoSingh.

[jaspreet1]

Dhadhi keep Sikh history fresh in our minds. This also is not to be forgotten. Taliban and Shiv Sena are barbaric terrorist organizations. Did the Americans through the legal book at the Taliban? How many Sikhs that don't want the above 1986 information released supported the action of the Americans against the Taliban? Why the double standard? Shiv Sena rapped, murdered, tortured, and beat your brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers in 1984. Yet you cheer for the Americans to take the Taliban out without going through a legal process!!!!

Not to long ago Sikhs heads were chopped off by the Taliban how many of these did you land in prison or did you get hung by the legal system?

[GPS]

Shiv sena has very little presence in Punjab.Mostly they are very low level hawkers who are agents

of Congress to create trouble when it suits them. It was a counter force created by Arun Nehru back

in 1980s.

So do not worry about these fringe elements.

[jaspreet1]

Shiv sena has very little presence in Punjab.Mostly they are very low level hawkers who are agents

of Congress to create trouble when it suits them. It was a counter force created by Arun Nehru back

in 1980s.

So do not worry about these fringe elements.

Based on what information? In Punjab it was Shiv Sena showing resistance to the Sikhs during Bhai Rajoana. Every time the police need conmen to stir the pot they go to Shiv Sena and let them attack innocent Sikhs. Shiv Sena members completed beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib ji. In Delhi not to long ago when the incidents took place it was Shiv Sena attacking Sikhs with rocks and then the police fired on the Sikhs who were trying to protect themselves and those that were around them. Random people just don't start attacking Sikhs, especially when Sikhs are protesting 1984 genocide or asking for their rights.

Also the word you were looking for was not worried, but vigilant. Sikhs stay vigilant of the enemies who can attack at any time. I can tell you why are you wearing a kirpan, don't worry about any attacks as the times when you got attacked so easily are long gone.

Gurbani reminds us to stay vigilant of the 5 vices as they might look to be sleeping, but they can spark when I have dropped by vigilant stance. As the 5 vices rest inside they are also outside us and they come in many forms and try to weaken us.