November 1, 1984 Massacre

  Officials Kept Waiting for Orders  

New revelations continue to emerge about the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. A new book has disclosed that senior police and administrative officials at the time made efforts to protect Sikhs from rioters, but higher-ranking officers remained silent. They neither provided support nor issued any directives to the police to stop the violence.  

Journalist and author Sanjay Suri, in his book 

1984: The Anti-Sikh Violence and After, 

reveals how police officials failed to take necessary action to prevent the massacre. 

Maxwell Pereira, the then Additional Deputy Commissioner, had ordered firing at rioters outside Sis Ganj Gurdwara on November 1, 1984. One person was killed in the incident, and the rioters fled, saving the historic gurdwara. However, what followed left Mr. Pereira shaken.  

He recounted, "After the incident, I immediately informed the control room about the firing and the death of one person. But I faced difficulty when there was no response, and the control room remained silent."

Similarly, Amod Kanth, the then Deputy Commissioner of the Central District, stated that he received no orders from police headquarters on handling the violence. According to the book, Mr. Kanth had instructed strict action against rioters in his district, but during a subsequent meeting at police headquarters, he was reprimanded for his actions. In the meeting, he was told that he had acted hastily.  

The book also mentions an incident involving an inspector from the Delhi Armed Police. Shamsher Deol, the then Deputy Commissioner, was also in charge of the armed police unit. He revealed that an inspector had fired warning shots to disperse attackers in Nand Nagri, East Delhi. The inspector was warned that showing strictness could put him in trouble. He immediately went on leave, but before leaving, he purchased three cartridges from a military unit in Delhi Cantonment. According to Mr. Deol, "He had fired three bullets from a .303 rifle, so he bought the cartridges to replace them, ensuring that his ammunition count remained intact. He wanted to show that he had never fired any bullets. He was later accused of engaging in anti-national activities."  

Assistant Police Commissioner Keval Singh had started taking action against looters on the evening of October 31. When he saw the situation spiraling out of control, he requested permission to open fire at 8:32 PM. However, his request was denied, and 50 minutes later, at 9:22 PM, he was informed that he had been removed from duty.  

According to Mr. Suri, it was clear that police action against looters and killers was not welcomed. The book claims that Rajiv Gandhi’s indifferent attitude ultimately led to the situation going completely out of control.  

The author, based on interviews, records, and personal experiences, states that senior Congress leaders played a crucial role in the Sikh massacre, and the top leadership did not actively try to restrain them.  

The book notes that Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as Prime Minister on October 31, but he only issued strict directives against the rioters on November 2 at 5:30 PM, when he summoned then-Lieutenant Governor P.G. Gavai and ordered that the massacre should end within 15 minutes. By then, however, most Sikhs had already been targeted.  

Suri writes that Rajiv Gandhi gave several speeches, but the Sikhs of Delhi were not interested in empty words—they wanted action and justice. According to the book, Gandhi made decisions that later weakened the chances of justice. The inquiry led by police officer Ved Marwah into the massacre was halted midway.  

The book also holds Doordarshan, the state-run television network, responsible. It details how Doordarshan broadcast provocative content 18 times. According to the author, many people believed that government television played a major role in inciting violence on that fateful morning.  

The book argues that immediate action should be taken against the officials responsible for the killing of over 3,000 Sikhs.  

IANS (Indo-Asian News Service)