Wound, Waste, History Re-reading 1984 Kaur, Ravinder Published in: Economic and Political Weekly Publication date: 2014 Document version Early version, also known as pre-print Citation for published version (APA): Kaur, R. (2014). Wound, Waste, History: Re-reading 1984. Economic and Political Weekly, XLIX(43-44). http://www.epw.in/search/apachesolr_search/Wound%2C%20Waste%2C%20History Download date: 27. sep.. 2021 PERSPECTIVES jump over the small wall. SHO Bhatia Wound, Waste, History was fi ring from the front from the road. My sons were hit by bullets, were Rereading 1984 gasping. Then at about 7-8 am on 2nd November, they came and dragged my sons to a place near Satbir’s house. Ravinder Kaur They were burnt with kerosene. When I ran towards my sons, Nathu Pradhan, Wounds are expected to heal. Our Testimonies Gupta Brahmanand and Ramesh strip- very conception of victims and ped me and raped me. They made me I run naked on the road. Nobody from my victimhood is based on this n 1 November 1984, I went to street gave me a dupatta. I went to A-2 hopeful axiom. But not all serve tea to my father-in-law block to my older sister. I stayed the wounds heal, some remain in a OSardar Moti Singh who resided night there. The military arrived on 3rd constant state of decay, in B-2. I saw that a meeting was being November and evacuated all of us. held in B-2 park. About 150-200 persons – Prem Kaur, widow of late Sardar degenerate, and ultimately risk of our mohalla had gathered there. Four Roshan Singh, Sultanpuri, Block A-41 turning into waste too. It is this fem ales and rest were males. Shri Sajjan possibility of waste that this Kumar was delivering a lecture…at about II article explores. The 1984 1.50 pm, the gurudwara was set on By afternoon, there were many thousands fi re. We all of our ‘biradari” came out of of people in the mob. Groups of many violence is one of those historical our houses. Asla Ram Gujarati, Peeria hundred entered the house of each Sikh wounds that has neither faded and Nathu Pradhan broke the Nishan family, broke the doors and roofs and from public memory nor fully Sahib (the fl ag) and Jamadars had lit dragged out each Sardar and beat them healed. At the heart of this the fi re and were standing outside. with sticks and rods, and stabbed them They had brought the oil drum into the knives, swords and throw them down. unhealing wound is the question street. Brahmanand Gupta and his three Then they would set fi re to them there of justice that has long been brothers had brought the oil drum. At itself. All three of our houses (extended denied to the victims. The judicial that time SHO Bhatia of Sultanpuri, family) were destroyed. All the goods affi davits prepared in early 1985 Jai Chand Havaldar, Rajinder Sepoy, from the three houses were looted. Sukhbir Thanedar – these all said, you My husband’s elder brother was not only narrate the violence that all sardars go to your house, otherwise caught fi rst. He begged them with folded unfolded systematically, but three I will open fi re. hands but the mob’s reply to him was decades later testify to the We went to our houses. The doors “Saala haath jodta hai” (the bastard is inability of the state apparatus to of my house were closed from outside. folding hands). The mob killed him with Bhatia and Jaichand closed the doors. a “basoola” and threw him down. help heal its wounded citizens. Gun fi re was heard from outside. Police Somehow I took my children and hid was fi ring. The police were sitting in in a neighbour’s hut. After some time my Sita’s house and fi ring. Then sitting in husband fell down. I tried to hide him Brahmanand’s house, Ugjal and Islan but 10-12 people were chasing him. fi red which hit the house of Gudoli Kaur. These people cut down my husband with This went on the whole night. At about their swords. I took his head on my lap 2.00 am in the night, the rear wall of our and wept the whole night. He was still house was being broken. Behind our alive. After some time, these people house is the house of the owner of Satbir came back and dragged my husband out Hotel. He was trying to enter from the putting their ears to his chest to listen. rear. He set my house on fi re. I even Then they said, “he is still alive”. They pleaded with folded hands. Brahmanand then attacked him with swords. I saved and his three brothers poured oil into my life by giving them Rs 4,000/- and a Ravinder Kaur ([email protected]) teaches Modern South Asian Studies at the University my house and set it on fi re. gold amulet. of Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the author of Ugjal was fi ring from top. When the Nearby was the house of Shabnam Since 1947: Partition Narratives among fi re spread, then my Sardar and my two alias Kacchoom. My husband’s younger Partition Migrants of Delhi, 2007, Oxford sons tried to run away. My Sardar was brother Dalip Singh and another relative University Press. hit by a bullet whilst he was trying to Kripal Singh were hiding there. Shabnam 34 november 1, 2014 vol xlix nos 43 & 44 EPW Economic & Political Weekly PERSPECTIVES said that he would help us. But he him- them with iron rods, set the sobbing the ladies of that house, my husband was self brought a mob of 300-400 people persons alive on fi re there and then. dragged out from his hiding place under and was in fact right at the front. He said When they cried in pain, the mob felt the bed, hit on the head with an iron rod, that Dilip and Kripal are hiding. They happy and danced. pushed him to the road and burnt alive both pleaded with folded hands and said The women folk of the mohalla were there. While I was watching this horri- you are getting us killed though you are made to sit in the Block 32 park. They ble scene, I heard a crashing noise. The a friend. And they (Dilip and Kripal) started having a look at the women folk mob had entered the house breaking all were killed before my eyes. and forcibly took away the young ladies. the doors. I saw my son seriously wound- Similarly Rampal Saroj betrayed us During this period, the ladies started ed. I stood in front of my son to save him. and caused the murder of my father-in- running helter- skelter. We, the women, In this time, my nephew rang up my sis- law. “Call us husband, we are your men. pleaded with them with folded hands, ter-in-law Mrs Vasant and told him of Now we shall parade you. Where has addressing them as brothers as to why this tragedy being enacted at Patel your great Guru gone, now say the true they were harassing us in this way, and Nagar. Seeing this, immediately after name you bitches. Don’t even speak of abusing us, and that they had already having witnessed my husband’s being Trilokpuri, don’t ever come back. Go to killed husbands. To this they replied burnt alive I fainted. Chilla village, go down in the canal.” “don’t call us brothers, we are not your – Harbans Kaur, widow of Kartar The mob stood with sticks and rods brothers, we will not spare the ladies.” Singh, Patel Nagar4 and chased us and our children away Even at this time, the police did not come from there. to our rescue. The Work of Affi davits – Janaki Bai, widow of late Hukum The women then pleaded with the The box fi lled with hundreds of hurriedly Singh, Trilokpuri, Block 322 leader, Ram Pal Saroj, as to what all this typed A4 pages lay together with books was being done. “Save us, already our and documents assembled over a decade. III husbands have been killed.” Ram Pal I reopened the archive this summer The mob dragged the Sikhs out of their replied that nothing was in his control when we moved homes. The typed pag- houses and started beating them. They and that “they should suffer for all that has es I was holding again after a long time fi rst beat the Sikhs after dragging them out been done by the Sikhs”. In the morning, belong to a distinct variety of documents of their houses. Iron rods and lathis were all the ladies went to Chilla village. From called “affi davits” that are intricately used for beating them and they were then there we went to Pandav Nagar on foot. woven into the life of the Indian judicial burnt alive after sprinkling kerosene on We spent the night of 2nd November system. The ubiquity of affi davits in pub- them. The dead bodies of the Sikhs were there. At that time, my four children lic life is well known by anyone who has seen lying in the street outside. were with me. On 3rd morning, we came had to deal with the state in one way or Bedi and his brothers and Kishori and to Kalyan Puri police station. There I another. The affi davits are simply sworn his brothers started abusing the women- met my other children also.