Unsung Heroes

The Sikh community owes a great debt to the ordinary people of India, thousands of Hindus, Muslims and others, who risked their own lives and property to save its members. The main purpose of the book was to underline that, what happened in November, 1984 was not communal violence committed by one community against another but pre-planned and well organised violence committed by a Congress government against Sikhs.

Had the anti-Sikh violence been the handiwork of communal forces, it would neither have been on such a large scale nor would it have affected the Sikhs alone. For proof of the positive role played by ordinary Hindus, we just, have to mark the following facts: Immediately after the carnage, the people who swung into action to help the survivors with material and moral resources were Hindus; those who reported the violence in the newspapers were Hindus; a majority of those who demanded punishment to the guilty were Hindus and thousands of those who have lent a hand in the victims’ families continuing struggle for justice are, either Hindus, Muslims or Christians.

It is very important to remember that the Congress party is the chief culprit it the anti-Sikh violence. It is the same Congress party which claims to be secular and pro-minorities. There is not a single communal riot in the county in which the party members and workers did not play a role. Event at the individual level, the Congress party members are notorious for their crime. For proof, we need not go beyond one of the latest crimes involving a Congress member. Congress Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma is behind bars for allegedly murdering his wife, cutting her body into several pieces and them trying to ‘cremate’ it in the tandoor of three star hotel kitchen right in the heart of New Delhi. The Congress workers and supporters, most of whom are history-sheeters, can be found in large numbers participating in demonstrations of all kinds. The party claims to have a country-wide following, it has ruled India for 45 out of 50 year after freedom from the British rule, it claims to be secular and pro-minorities and it has the largest network of workers. However, in the last 14 years, not one of its leaders has opened his or her mouth on the November, 1984 Sikh genocide. Their silence itself speaks for their guilt. The Congress party is a wolf in sheepskin and the nation must not allow the wolf to rule and ruin its basic fibre.

A Note On The Sikh Community

I am a Sikh and a student of history, two features which have given me a deep understanding of the psychology of Sikhs. We are an emotional people and can do or die for a cause. Sikh history is replete with examples of people who died after a valiant fight for truth and justice. Hari Singh Nalua, Udham Singh, Bhagat Singh, Mehtab Singh, Sukhdev Singh Sukha, Harjinder Singh Jinda and Surjit Singh Penta, to name a few. As a Sikh I also know the wounds that the events of November, 1984 have caused in our hearts. These wounds will bleed forever and the community will never forget who has given it these wounds.