Sikh Genocide survivor from Hondh Chillar identifies victim Inderjit Singh before Garg Commission

Hisar, Haryana (February 01, 2014): It is learnt that Justice TP Garg, inquiring into the 1984 Sikh carnage in Hondh Chillar village of Rewari (Haryana), has completed first phase of investigation.

Justce TP Garg, heading single person inquiry commission into the Hondh Chillar Massacre of November 1984 recorded the witness of Uttam Singh on January 30 who identified one of the 32 victims as an Army man from Batala who had taken shelter at his house.

Kanwaldeep Kaur of Misharpura village in Batala, Punjab, had claimed that her husband Inderjit Singh, an Army man, was one of the victims of the anti-Sikh genocidal violence of November 1984. She had approached the Hondh Cillar co-ordination committee after the massacre was exposed by a Sikh Enggineer Manwinder Singh Giaspura in January 2011.

Manwinder Singh Giaspura, a member of Hondh Chillar co-ordination Committee, informed Sikh Siyasat News in a written statement that Inderjit Singh had come on leave and fearing the violence against the Sikhs in Delhi, he alighted from the train at Rewari. He reached Hondh village after someone informed about a Sikh village to take shelter.

“The genocide survivor Uttam Singh told the commission that he gave shelter to Inderjit Singh on his arrival in the village. Barely a few hours later, the village was attacked and Inderjit was among the 32 persons who were killed in the incident.”, said Giaspura.

According to information the commission had questioned Kaur’s claim that the victim was her husband in the last hearing.

“Today, Uttam Singh, however, identified Inderjit Singh by seeing his photo as the same person who had taken shelter in his house. The commission also cross-examined Kaur”, Giaspura told SSN.

As per information the Hondh Chillar co-ordination committee (HCCC) had advertised about the Army man as he was the only unidentified victim among the 32. Finally, his wife approached the HCCC when the SGPC was holding an “akhand path” at the site of genocide and Uttam Singh identified the victim by his photograph with his wife.

Kanwaldeep Kaur had lost all hopes of finding her husband when the Army declared him dead seven years after the incident. She has been getting a pension, but the Punjab Government had not extended any benefits meant for the families of victims of November 1984 due to the missing status of her husband.

As many as 26 witnesses to the carnage were cross-examined by the panel. The Commission will now cross-examine the administration and police officials.

It may be recalled that the Hondh Chillar Massacre was part of Sikh Genocide of November 1984 in which a Sikh village named Hondh Chillar was completely destroyed by genocidaries and 32 Sikhs were killed. The massacre remained undisclosed till 2011, when a Sikh engineering unearthed the brutal episode.