[Reader-list] Genocide 1984: Long Search For Culprits By Shamsul Islam (Countercurrents.org)

[Venugopalan K M]

Genocide 1984: Long Search For Culprits

By Shamsul Islam

10 April, 2009
Countercurrents.org

It is generally believed that the Congress cadres were behind this
genocide. This is true but there were other forces too which actively
participated in this massacre and whose role has never been
investigated. Those who were witness to the genocide of 1984 were
stunned by the swiftness and military precision of the killer
marauding gangs (later on witnessed during the Babri mosque
demolition, burning alive of Dr. Graham Steins with his two sons and
recent pogrom of the Muslims in Gujarat) who went on a burning spree
of the innocent Sikhs. This was beyond the capacity of the Congress
thugs.

I have an important RSS document which may throw some light on the
unhidden aspects of the genocide. It was authored and circulated by a
veteran ideologue of the RSS, Nana Deshmukh on November 8, 1984.
Interestingly, this document was published in the Hindi Weekly
Pratipaksh edited by George Fernandes (Defence Minister of India
1999-2004, and presently a great pal of the RSS) in its edition of
November 25, 1984 titled ‘Indira Congress-RSS collusion’ with the
following editorial comment:

“The author of the following document is known as an ideologue and
policy formulator of the RSS. After the killing of Prime Minister
(Indira Gandhi) he distributed this document among prominent
politicians. It has a historical significance that is why we have
decided to publish it, violating policy of our Weekly. This document
highlights the new affinities developing between the Indira Congress
and the RSS. We produce here the Hindi translation of the document.”

This document may help in unmasking the whole lot of criminals
involved in the massacre of innocent Sikhs who had nothing to do with
the killing of Indira Gandhi. This document may also throw light on
where the cadres came from, who meticulously organized the killing of
Sikhs. Nana Deshmukh in this document is seen outlining the
justification of the massacre of the Sikh community in 1984. According
to him the massacre of Sikhs was not the handiwork of any group or
anti-social elements but the result of a genuine feeling of anger
among Hindus of India.

This document also shows the true degenerated and fascist attitude of
the RSS towards all the minorities of India. The RSS has been arguing
that they are against Muslims and Christians because they are the
followers of foreign religions. Here we find them justifying the
butchering of Sikhs who according to their own categorization happened
to be the followers of an indigenous religion.

The RSS often poses as a firm believer in Hindu-Sikh unity. But in
this document we will hear from the horse’s mouth that the RSS like
the then Congress leadership, believed that the massacre of the
innocent Sikhs was justified. Nana Deshmukh in this document is seen
outlining the justification of the massacre of the Sikh community in
1984. His defence of the carnage can be summed up as in the following.

1. The massacre of Sikhs was not the handiwork of any group or
anti-social elements but the result of a genuine feeling of anger
among Hindus of India.

2. Deshmukh did not distinguish the action of the two security
personnel of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who happened to be Sikhs, from that
of the whole Sikh community. From his document it emerges that the
killers of Indira Gandhi were working under some kind of mandate of
their community. Hence attacks on Sikhs were justified.

3. Sikhs themselves invited these attacks, thus advancing the Congress
theory of justifying the massacre of the Sikhs.

4. He glorified the ‘Operation Blue Star’ and described any opposition
to it as anti-national. When Sikhs were being killed in thousands he
was warning the country of Sikh extremism, thus offering ideological
defense of those killings.

5. It was Sikh community as a whole which was responsible for violence
in Punjab.

6. Sikhs should have done nothing in self-defence but showed patience
and tolerance against the killer mobs.

7. These were Sikh intellectuals and not killer mobs which were
responsible for the massacre. They had turned Sikhs into a militant
community, cutting them off from their Hindu roots, thus inviting
attacks from the nationalist Indians. Interestingly, Deshmukh would
not mind having militant Hindus. Moreover, he treated all Sikhs as
part of the same gang and defended attacks on them as a reaction of
the nationalist Hindus.

8. He described Indira Gandhi as the only leader who could keep the
country united and on the killing of such a great leader such killings
could not be avoided.

9. Rajiv Gandhi who succeeded Mrs. Gandhi as the Prime Minister of
India and justified the nation- wide killings of Sikhs by saying,
“When a huge tree falls there are always tremors felt”, was lauded and
blessed by Nana Deshmukh at the end of the document.

10. Shockingly, the massacre of Sikhs was being equated with the
attacks on the RSS cadres after the killing of Gandhiji and we find
Deshmukh advising Sikhs to suffer silently. Everybody knows that the
killing of Gandhiji was inspired by the RSS and the Hindutva Ideology
whereas the common innocent Sikhs had nothing to do with the murder of
Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

11. There was not a single sentence in the Deshmukh document
demanding, from the then Congress Government at the Centre, remedial
measures for controlling the violence against the minority community.
Mind this, that Deshmukh circulated this document on November 8, 1984,
and from October 31 to this date Sikhs were left alone to face the
killing gangs. In fact November 5-10 was the period when the maximum
killings of Sikhs took place. Deshmukh was just not bothered about all
this.

Deshmukh document did not happen in isolation. It represented the real
RSS attitude towards Sikh genocide of 1984. The RSS is very fond of
circulating publicity material, especially photographs of its khaki
shorts- clad cadres doing social work. For the 1984 violence they have
none. In fact, Deshmukh’s article also made no mention of the RSS
cadres going to the rescue of Sikhs under siege. This shows up the
real intentions of the RSS during the genocide.

There is not a single sentence in the Deshmukh document demanding,
from the then Congress Government at the Centre, remedial measures for
controlling the violence against the minority community. Importantly,
Deshmukh circulated this document on November 8, 1984, and from
October 31 to this date Sikhs were left alone to face the killing
gangs. George Fernandes while making this document public in 1984
wrote that it showed ‘Indira Congress-RSS collusion’. Nanavati
Commission must investigate whether this collusion was confined to
political sphere or went beyond to killing fields.

The Deshmukh document is reproduced below. It is translated here from Hindi

MOMENTS OF SOUL SEARCHING

Indira Gandhi ultimately did secure a permanent place at the doorstep
of history as a great martyr. With her dynamism borne out of her
fearlessness and dexterity, she was able to take the country forward
like a colossus for over a decade and was able to build an opinion
that she alone understood the realities of the country, that she alone
had the ability to run the decadent political system of our corrupt
and divided society, and probably that she alone could keep the
country united. She was a great lady and her death as a brave leader
had added to her greatness. She was killed by a person in whom she
kept faith despite several complaints. Such an influential and busy
personality was killed by a person who had the duty to protect her
person. This act came as a blow not only to her admirers in the
country and the world but also her critics. This cowardly and
treacherous act of killing not only ended the life of a great leader
but also killed, in the name of the Panth, the mutual faith of
humanity. Explosion of sudden arson and violent hysteria throughout
the country was probably a direction-less and improper expression of
the hurt, anger and feeling of loss of her followers. Lakhs of her
followers used to see her as the only defender, powerful protector,
and a symbol of united India. It is a different matter whether this is
right or wrong.

For these innocent and uninformed followers, the treacherous murder of
Indira Gandhi was the tragic culmination of the poisonous campaign of
separatism, antagonism and violence conducted over the previous three
years in which hundreds of innocents had to lose their invaluable
lives and the sanctity of religious places was destroyed. This
campaign assumed an ominous pace after the painful army action in June
which, in the eyes of most of the people of the country, had become
necessary to protect the sanctity of the religious places. Barring a
few exceptions, the Sikh community observed silence for a long time on
the barbaric massacres and heinous killings of innocent people, but
they condemned the long-pending army action with anger and dangerous
explosiveness. The country was stunned at their attitude. The army
action was compared to the “gallu ghara” action of Ahmed Shah Abdali
in 1762 to desecrate the Harmandir Sahib. Without going into the
objectives of the two incidents, Mrs. Gandhi was pushed into the
category of Ahmed Shah Abdali. She was termed the enemy of the Sikh
panth and big prizes were announced on her head. On the other hand
Bhindrawale who was guilty of heinous crimes against humanity in the
name of religion was hailed as a martyr. Open display of such feelings
in different parts of the country and abroad played a special role in
increasing the distrust and alienation between the Sikhs and the rest
of Indians. In the background of this distrust and alienation, stunned
and bewildered people accepted the validity of the rumours of
celebrations by the Sikhs at the heinous murder of Indira Gandhi by
her Sikh bodyguards in retaliation of the army action. Of these the
most hurting explanation was that of Giani Kripal Singh who being the
Head Granthi considered himself to be the sole spokesman of the Sikh
community. He said that he expressed no sorrow at the death of Indira
Gandhi. This statement added fuel to the fire of boiling anger. No
immediate and natural condemnation of this despicable statement by an
important leader came from responsible Sikh leaders, intellectuals or
organization. Therefore the already angered common and unimaginative
people took it as correct that the Sikhs celebrated the death of
Indira Gandhi. Because of this belief, selfish elements could succeed
in making the common people become violent against the hapless Sikhs.

This was a most explosive situation which needed utmost patience and
skilful conduct on behalf of our Sikh brothers. I am saying this,
being a life member of the RSS, because on January 30, 1948 a Hindu
fanatic, who was a Marathi and had no relation with the RSS, rather
was a bitter critic of the Sangh, committed unfortunate killing of
Mahatma Gandhi. On this occasion we also suffered the sudden eruption
of hysteria, loot and atrocities of misdirected people. We ourselves
saw how selfish elements who were well acquainted with this incident,
deliberately declared a murderer to be a member of the RSS and also
spread the rumour that the RSS people were celebrating throughout the
country death of Mahatma Gandhi, and thus they succeeded in diverting
the love and the feeling of loss and hurt in the hearts of people for
Gandhi. Such feelings were spread against Swayamsewaks and their
families, particularly in Mahrashtra.

Having gone through such experiences myself, I can understand the
strong reaction and feeling of innocent Sikh brothers who became of
victims of sudden eruption of people’s violent hysteria. In fact, I
would like to condemn in strongest words the inhuman barbarity and
cruelty on Sikh brothers in Delhi and elsewhere. I feel proud of all
those Hindu neighbours who protected lives and property of troubled
Sikh brothers without caring for their lives. Such things one being
heard from all over Delhi. These things have practically increased the
faith in natural goodness of human behavior and particularly faith in
Hindu nature.

I am also worried at the Sikh reaction in such delicate and explosive
situation. As an activist engaged in national reconstruction and unity
for half a century and being a well wisher of Sikh community I am
hesitating in saying that if reactive armed action by Sikhs is even
partly true then they have not been able to evaluate the situation
correctly and comprehensively and as a result could not respond
according to the situation. Here I wish to draw the attention of all
my countrymen including Sikhs that in a similar difficult situation
arising out of murder of Mahatma Gandhi when in the hysteria against
the RSS crimes of destruction of property, heinous burning alive of
children, inhuman cruelty etc. were being committed and the news was
reaching Nagpur from all over India, then the ‘dictator’ of the RSS
known as the so-called big private army, the then head of the Sangh
late M.S. Golwalkar issued an appeal in Nagpur on February 1, 1948 to
the lakhs of armed young followers throughout the country in the
following unforgettable words:

‘I direct all my Swayamsewak brothers that despite spread of
provocation due to lack of understanding, they should adopt cordial
attitude towards all and remember that this mutual distrust and
improper hysteria is the result of the love and respect that the whole
country has for Mahatma who made the country great in the eyes of the
world. We salute such great respected departed soul’.

These were not empty words to hide cowardice and helplessness in the
hopeless situation. In those life threatening serious moments he
proved that every word of his appeal had a meaning. On the evening of
February 1, hundreds of Swayamsewaks in Nagpur urged for armed
resistance and resisting till the last drop of their blood to stop the
probable attack on their leader the same night. And some associates of
Guruji told him of a conspiracy against his life and requested to
shift his residence to a safe place before the attack, Guruji told
them in such a black moment also that if the same people whom he had
truly and with full ability, served throughout his life wanted to take
his life, then why and for whom he should save his life. Thereafter he
cautioned them in stern voice that even if a drop of blood of his
countrymen was shed in saving him, then such a life would be useless
for him. History is a witness that lakhs of Swayamsewaks spread
throughout the country followed this directive word by word. Though
they had to digest vulgarities in exchange of their patience and
tolerance but there was a faith to give them patience that whatever
may happen to them in present condition, history will definitely prove
them innocent.

I hope that in present difficult situation my Sikh brothers will also
show the above-referred patience and tolerance. But I am deeply pained
to know that rather than displaying such tolerance and patience at
some places they have retaliated against the crowd with arms and
played into the hands of such selfish elements who were eager to
spread the trouble. I am surprised how a section of our society
considered to be most disciplined, organized and religious, adopted
such a negative and self-defeating attitude. May be they could not get
proper leadership at the moments of such a crisis. Through my scanty
study and understanding of Sikh history I consider that such a
nonpolitical reaction of Sikhs in moments of such a crisis came from
their complete involvement with teachings of love, tolerance and
sacrifice of Sikh nature. Warrior nature of Sikh religion was a short
time provision against barbarity of foreign Mughals which was taught
by tenth Guru. For him Khalsa was a relatively small part of a broad
Hindu-Sikh brotherhood and was designed as an armed hand to defend
Hindu community and its traditions. Guru Govind Singh laid down for
Khalsa followers five KS (Kesh, Kripan, Kangha, Kara and Kachha) and
‘Singh’ in the name of Khalsas. This was a symbol of their being
soldiers. But unfortunately today these only are being projected as
basic and necessary forms of Sikh religion.

I am sorry to say that Sikh intellectuals too have failed to
understand that conversion of Sikh religion into Khalsaism is a much
later event and this was due to deliberate plan of British
imperialists to divide and rule in Punjab. Its aim was to cut the
Sikhs off from their Hindu environ. Unfortunately, after independence
power hungry politicians kept alive for their own interest the
unnaturally born problems of separation and equal existence, and
carried forward the game of imperialists to divide and rule by their
vote bank politics. This improper equating of Sikhs with militant
Khalsaism is not only the basic root of separatist tendencies in some
parts of Sikh community, but it also raised militancy and faith in the
power of weapons to the level of religious worship.

This religious worship gave rise to terrorist movement like Babbar
Khalsa in the second decade and recently Indira Gandhi was killed as a
result of terrorist wave under the leadership of Bhindrawale and a
long ‘hit list’ is yet to be executed.

I used to imagine that Sikh community has freed itself totally from
illiteracy, ignorance, frustration and defeatism in which it was in
the fifth decade of 19th century after losing its freedom and which
was exploited by cunning British imperialists and selfish Sikh elites
for their selfish interests. It is clear that in eighth decade Sikhs
adorning the places of high responsibility represent highly educated,
laborious, vigilant, relatively rich, enlightened and active section
of Indian society in every walk of life. In nineteenth century their
experiences and vision was limited to the boundaries of the then
Punjab but today they are spread not only throughout India but
throughout the world, and they are in a situation to directly know the
conspiracies of big powers which are being hatched against independent
and united India rising strongly in the world. In such an advantageous
situation they should know their historical development as an integral
part of India.

Such a revaluation of history will give them the opportunity to see
many wrong formulations of their own religion and past which has been
systematically drilled into their brains by wrong and distorted
historical writings by British administrators and intellectuals about
nature and development of their religion. Such an attempt will take
them to their real roots.

This is the time that our Sikh brothers should search their hearts so
that they can get rid of the false description inserted by British
imperialists and power greedy opportunist people into their basic
religious nature. Removal of such false descriptions is necessary to
bridge the gulf of distrust and alienation between two communities of
similar destiny, nature and similar traditions. I am afraid that
without such a self-introspection and revaluation of history they
would not be able to live with peace among themselves and with other
countrymen. A disinterested analysis of their own enlightened
interests will be enough to make them understand that their fate is
indivisibly linked with the destiny of India. Such an understanding
will save them from falling prey to the disruptive and destructive
interests of foreign powers.

I disbelieve (sic) that my Sikh brothers will accept the cautious
words of spiritual expression of a well-wisher.

Lastly, it is not to deny the truth that sudden removal of Indira
Gandhi from Indian political scene has created a dangerous void in the
Indian common life. But India has always displayed a characteristic
inner strength in the moments of such crisis and uncertainty.
According to our traditions, responsibility of power has been placed
on the inexperienced shoulders of relatively young person in a lively
and peaceful manner. It will be hasty to judge the potentialities of
his leadership at this time. We should give him some time to show his
ability.

On such challenging juncture of the country, in the meanwhile he is
entitled to get full cooperation and sympathy from the countrymen,
though they may belong to any language, religion, caste or political
belief.

In the capacity of a nonpolitical constructive worker I only hope and
pray that God bless him with more mature, balanced, inner strength and
ability to give an impartial Govt. to the people so that he can take
the country to real prosperous unity and glory.

Guru Nanak Divas
November 8, 1984
Nana Deshmukh





-- 
http://venukm.blogspot.com/