The Chilling winter of 1984

In the cold November of 1984, the entire territory of Delhi was set ablaze in the fire of hate. From witnessing unimaginable sorrows to harrowing deaths, it seemed as though all monsters of hell roamed loose for what seemed like an eternity.

From built to burnt. Image Source: BBC

The assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi left the entire world shocked. The fact that she'd been shot by her bodyguard unleashed a riot in the country.

Within 12 hours of her assassination, the union territory of Delhi became a purgatory. Violence against the Sikhs broke out and all kinds of horrors- imaginable and the unimaginable were seen.

Mrs Chopra had been a lovely neighbour. According to Rohit, the Safdarjung enclave was only tolerable because of the Chopra family. Rohit was 11 years old when he heard Mrs Chopra was screaming and banging the front door of his house loudly.

It was midnight, and Rohit immediately realized something was wrong. It was unlike Mrs Chopra to lose her calm and run around hysterically. As he was descending the stairs, he was stopped by his father.

Seeing his father armed with a cricket bat and one of his 5 kg dumbbells in hand sent alarms blaring in Rohit's head. Cautiously, Mr Sharma opened the door and ushered Mrs Chopra and her family inside the house.

Rohit ran to bring water while his parents tended to the wounds of their friendly Sikh neighbours.

The sight was unforgettably heartbreaking. An inconsolable Mrs Chopa sat in his living room while his parents tended to Mr Chopra's wounds.

Mr Chopra had always seemed indestructible. Despite his enormous build and stern-looking face, Mr Chopra was a well-liked person in the colony. His helpful and just nature made him an excellent friend. Seeing Mr Chopra bleeding out in his living room was too much to bear for Rohit. He dropped the glasses of water and ran out of the room, unable to breathe.

From the windows, he peeped out. And when he looked out, he swore that this was not the colony he had lived his entire life.

Rioters set fire to cars and houses. There was smoke everywhere. Rohit saw many Sikhs being chased by angry mobs with fire torches in their hands. Stone pelting was common. Mr Kapoor, an elderly Sikh man, was beaten mercilessly. He was struck with an iron rod twice on his head. But that wasn't enough for the young boy with blood on his hands. He proceeded to bash the old Sikh man to a pulp and stopped when he was sure he had smashed his skull.

Rohit let out a cry. A heart-wrenching cry. Even though Mrs Chopra's family was at grave risk, she rushed to console Rohit. She assured him that this was just a misunderstanding and everything would be back to normal soon. She reasoned that the country was angry with two Sikh men who assassinated prime minister Indira Gandhi and people do horrifying things when they lose control.

Through his sobs, Rohit managed to say that the entire community couldn't be punished for what happened to the prime minister. Only the guilty should have been punished. Why were his neighbours, uncles and aunties he grew up around being beaten to death?

Setting fires. Image Source: QZ

That was a long night, and for days, Delhi was awake- witnessing the ghastly lows of human nature and slaughter. It was shaken, burned, looted, and damaged beyond repair. Rohit's father and mother convinced the non-Sikh members of their colony in the Safdarjung Enclave to protect the Sikh residents. People jumped in to help and kept the rioters at bay. The houses of the Sikhs were protected as the other residents stood guard.

A few days later, the violence seemed to die down. Throughout Delhi, the Sikhs were subjected to loot, arson, rape, and 'necklacing'. The term necklacing emerged then because Sikh men were first struck to unconsciousness, and then a tyre was put around their necks that was then set to fire.

The stench of half-burned bodies reeked in the air. Piles of bodies were a common sight in slums.

The riots of 1984 robbed the dead of their chance to be put to rest with dignity. The police inaction was blood-curdling, and all of us lost.

Families were torn apart, the cost of the structural damage was too high, and the trauma would never be gone.

A sad event in history marked by the mob’s victory. Image source: Outlook India