Nearly four decades after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the scars of that tragedy remain deeply etched in the lives of its survivors. In the heart of Delhi’s Tilak Nagar, a settlement once referred to as the Widow Colony stands as a solemn reminder of the violence that shattered thousands of families. Here, women who lost their husbands, sons, and relatives continue to grapple with poverty, trauma, and an unfulfilled quest for justice.
While some convictions have offered a semblance of retribution, the suffering of these women is far from over. They navigate a harsh reality—juggling legal battles, attending court hearings, and struggling to make ends meet. Their stories are a testament to resilience, but also to a justice system that has moved too slowly for those who have endured decades of anguish. Recently, the conviction of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in one such case renewed a sense of determination among these survivors, but for many, it was too little, too late.
What did Sajjan Kumar do
For years, the women of Tilak Nagar have pursued justice, refusing to let the past fade into oblivion. In 2018, Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Raj Nagar Part 1 case, where five Sikhs were murdered, and a gurudwara was reduced to ashes in Raj Nagar Part 2, South West Delhi. He has been imprisoned since December 31, 2018, with his appeal against the conviction currently pending before the Supreme Court.
The latest verdict, which sentenced the former Outer Delhi MP to life imprisonment, pertains to the murder of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984. Initially, the case was registered by Punjabi Bagh police before being handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for further examination. The prosecution argued that an armed mob looted, set fire to Sikh-owned properties, and killed Jaswant and his son in retribution for the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The attackers allegedly raided the complainant’s home, murdered her husband and son, plundered valuables, and torched the house.
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Following arguments from Public Prosecutor Manish Rawat, Special Judge Baweja reserved the verdict on January 31. Previously, on December 16, 2021, the court had framed charges against Kumar, establishing a prima facie case.
Despite these legal victories, many survivors remain anxious. For them, justice cannot undo the nightmares of the past, nor can it lift the crushing burden of poverty that has shaped their lives for decades.
Nightmares in Vidhwa Colony
Tilak Nagar, bordered by affluent neighbourhoods, the Fifth Battalion Headquarters of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the sprawling Shenoi Park, hides within its alleys the painful history of the Widow Colony. Once referred to as the Vidhwa Colony, it was renamed Mata Gujri—after the mother of Guru Gobind Singh—by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on January 6. The settlement became a refuge for families affected by the 1984 riots, with survivors arriving from Nangloi, Trilokpuri, Mangolpuri, Sultanpuri, and areas along the Yamuna plains.
During the riots, most survivors were women and children, having fled the massacre. Those who reached Tilak Nagar had no choice but to start over, leaving behind the lives they once knew. The horrors of their past still haunt them, shaping their present struggles.
Jaswant’s widow, whose identity remains protected by the court, was once a resident of the colony. However, as the SIT took over the investigation and suspects were apprehended, she and her family had to relocate. While neighbours recall her fondly, the past continues to weigh heavily on their collective memory.
Under a makeshift thatched roof, a wooden bed sprawls in an open space—its surface laden with piles of clothes and a plastic bag filled with medicines. This is where 75-year-old Shammi Kaur lives, a survivor who has witnessed the riots unfold before her very eyes.
“I used to stay in Trilokpuri back then. Many of us managed to escape, but the memories of those days refuse to fade. The riots lasted only a few days, but in our minds, they stretched into years. Initially, the attacks were limited to stone pelting, but then the police arrived and ordered us to return to our homes. That’s when the real horror began. The attackers surrounded our houses, forcing their way in. Any man they found was murdered. Women were raped,” she recalls.
Shammi lost her husband and two teenage sons to the mob’s violence. “If they had lived, I would have had four sons today. My eldest was 15, and the younger was 13. They were burnt alive. My husband was hacked to death,” she says. Her two remaining sons, then aged seven and eight, had to be disguised as girls to escape certain death.
Now, her surviving children work as auto drivers, barely earning enough to support their families. Her sons live in the government quarter their mother had been provided with when they were able to escape the horrors of the riots. Meanwhile, Shammi is left to fend for herself. “We were supposed to receive Rs 5 lakh in compensation, but we got it in small instalments, half of which went towards making the flat livable,” she says.
For the past decade, Shammi has lived outside her home, on a charpoy beneath a thatched roof. “The house doesn’t have space for me, and I don’t want to be a burden on my sons. I buy my own food, I sleep outside. They have their own families to care for,” she says, pointing to the medications she must take due to head injuries inflicted by rioters.
Also Read: Survivors of anti-Sikh riots speak
The trauma of 1984 echoes through every household in the Widow Colony. Simmi Kaur, now 54, witnessed her entire family being slaughtered. “It was November when they came, hurling abuses. They sliced my father, my brothers, my uncle. Almost everyone in our locality was related to us, and when they died, so did our livelihood. By 1985, I was working as a house help at just 16. I also made wires from discarded electrical appliances, earning Rs 50 per wire,” she says.
Today, she sells vegetables to support her grandsons. “My sons don’t provide for me. Two drive autos, and one works as a labourer. Whatever they earn, they spend on drugs and alcohol. I don’t blame them. They grew up without proper education. That’s why I now ensure my grandchildren study, so they don’t end up like their fathers,” she says.
Despite glimpses of resilience, despair lingers. “There is only sorrow here,” says 62-year-old Gurmeet Kaur. “The women here have suffered too much. Even a smile is rare.”
Commenting on Kumar’s latest conviction, she said, “Sajjan Kumar should face the noose. Considering how our families have suffered, he is still being let off with a soft punishment. We have been anxious for a long time. Our dreams have been smeared with the pains of our community and our dead family members. What Kumar is facing at this age is nothing compared to what we have undergone,” she said.
The latest verdict marks the second conviction in a case reopened following recommendations by the SIT, which was formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2015 to reinvestigate the 1984 riot cases. Based on the SIT’s findings, the complainant recorded her statement on November 23, 2016, leading to Kumar’s arrest on April 6, 2021.
