Gurcharan Singh Rishi
Victim of anti-Sikh riots
Gurcharan Singh Rishi, one of the victim of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot suffered a horrendous ordeal when half his body was burnt. Seriously disabled, he has been wasting away lying in bed for the last 25 years at the resident of his two brothers in Mohali, near Chandigarh. During the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, he was thrown into a burning vehicle in front of his house in Uttam Nagar, New Delhi.
He said he was subjected to this suffering because of Sajjan Kumar, who provoked and led the mob. He survived with the help of his wife and was rescued by Bonnie and Tarlok Chand, a Dalit and a Hindu neighbour, after the mob left. These people helped him for at least three days and kept him hidden in a nearby burnt-down house of a relative.
Gurcharan Singh's statements
- The mob led by Sajjan Kumar, started hitting his father and his maternal uncle. His uncle Santokh Singh died on the spot. All his family started hiding in the house but his brother injured.
- He was hiding in the kitchen, overpowered by mob and thrown into a burning truck outside the house
- His father and he was taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. They discharged without much medical. Due to this reason, he still has many open wounds on his legs and knees.
- He registered an FIR in Delhi and Mohali a couple of times, but no one listened to them.
- He did not a get a single rupee as compensation from Indian Govt.
- His family approached the All-India Sikh Student Federation (AISSF) president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad. Through him, he told media persons that he saw Sajjan Kumar inciting his henchmen at Navada in Delhi, who later burnt a Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Mohan Garden, where his father was the president and also properties of many Sikhs.
Gurcharan Singh died without justice
Burned, paralysed and after 25 years on bed Gurcharan Singh Rishi died without seeing any justice.
References
http://www.nriinternet.com/NRIsikhs/1984_Riots/1984sikhRiots/Gurcharan_Rishi/index.htm
External Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdish_Tytler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sajjan_Kumar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hkl_bhagat
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