Can’t forget role of Hindus who acted as saviours during 1984 riots, says victim

Jagtar Singh Cheema is among those victims of the 1984 Sikh riots who recognise and remember the gestures of their Hindu acquaintances who came to their rescue, risking their own lives during the riots.

He is also among those who, instead of waiting for compensation from successive governments, worked tirelessly to re-establish their own ‘empires’ bit by bit.

“How can I forget Ashok, Ram, and my landlord Pandit Nevla Prashad, who took care of my family in Meerut during the riots when I was stuck in Punjab,” said Cheema, adding that he had come there to attend his niece’s wedding.

Recollecting a nightmarish journey to Meerut, Cheema said he had to hide in the toolbox of a truck as Sikhs travelling from Punjab towards Delhi were being stopped at Shambhu Border. “Spending a chilling night at a dhaba at Shambhu Border was a nightmare for me, as I was also worried about my wife Surinder Kaur, my three-year-old elder son Pawan and toddler Maninder,” he said.

Regretting that anti-social elements led by self-styled leaders had indulged in inhumane acts of torturing and killing members of a particular community, Cheema said his family was among those several who were protected by Hindu brethren risking their own lives.

“Who could be more fortunate than me, as I was living in the rented house of a landlord who acted as a guardian to my wife and kids in my absence,” he said.

He added that his family had received compensation worth Rs 2 lakh during the Congress regime in 2002 and never sought any other facility or compensation.

“Though I had worked very hard from 1985 to 1992 and parted with my land measuring around 2 acres, I never sat still or loitered waiting for compensation from the government,” he said, accepting that his family is now living a dignified life.