Cars burnt in the violence
The Sikh Forum was formed soon after the November 1984 Carnage. The above images depict the agony of the Sikhs turned homeless in three days after the macabre planned and orchestrated violence by the Congress leadership. Thousands of Sikhs were massacred in the most gruesome manner in independent India. The anti-Sikh violence has troubled generations of the Sikhs.
Lt. Gen. J S Aurora, the hero of the Bangladesh war of liberation took the lead to set up The Sikh Forum.
The immediate concerns of the Forum in the aftermath of the carnage were:
1. To provide relief and rehabilitation to the victims of the carnage
2. To Identify the perpetrators of the violence and provide justice to the victims of the carnage.
3. To boost the morale of the Sikhs living outside Punjab and to prevent them from migrating to Punjab
4. To rebuild the community’s public image which had been sullied by the state-controlled media.
5. To publish material to correctly present Sikh issues and aspirations.
6. To actively contribute to the resolution of the Punjab problem
The Journey
The forum began working from Bhogal in South Delhi in an office provided by an Industrialist, S. Raja Singh, the manufacturer of TexlaTelevision.
It was a massive task, unforeseen since the Independence of India. For relief and rehabilitation industrialists, businessmen, NRIs and other well-to-do Sikhs were requested to donate generously. Citizens Relief and Rehabilitation Trust was formed From the community’s own resources with Lt. Gen Aurora at the helm of affairs.
The trust supported the education of several hundred children of the carnage victims up to class X. To date, The Sikh Forum continues to help the children of the victims on need basis.
The Citizens Justice Committee with Justice Sikri (retd) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, advocate H S Phoolka as Secretary to the committee and prominent lawyers and retired judges took up the task of justice for the victims. The Sikh Forum members aided in organising surveys affidavits and collecting evidence.
The members of The Sikh Forum also undertook a 30-day long relay hunger strike at the Boat club. The hunger-strike received much attention and the Sikh volunteers from across Delhi and even Karnal and Kurukshetra took turns to draw the nation’s attention to the issue.
Gen Aurora, Dr Amrik Singh, Dr Maheep Singh, Sardar Gian Singh Sandhu, Sardar Gurmukh Singh Jeet and others addressed meetings organised in various gurdwaras and other places in Delhi and many other cities and successfully urged Sikhs to stay at their respective places with confidence and preparedness.
Gen Aurora contributed articles in English, Hindi and Punjabi in Hindustan Times and other leading newspapers and periodicals. The Forum also launched it’s own fortnightly The Forum Gazette. Due to lack of sufficient resources and due to its multifarious activities it was unable to sustain The Forum Gazette. We are happy to announce that with its website functional now, The Sikh Forum is reviving the Forum Gazette as a digital quarterly to highlight issues of concern to the Sikhs.
As already stated, one of the primary tasks of The Sikh Forum was to resolve the Punjab problem. It actively participated along with the Punjabi group comprising Inder Gujral, Kuldip Nayyar and many other prominent Punjabis
The Sikh Forum was born out of a crisis situation. In the initial years, it received tremendous enthusiasm from the community. It continues to remain engaged in its primary activities even 36 years after the carnage. It comprises a strong body of concerned Sikhs that continue to represent their concerns within the community and to the Diaspora.
The first executive committee of the Forum comprised eminent Sikhs: Lt General J.S. Aurora was its President, Dr Maheep Singh General Secretary, S. Gurmukh Singh Jeet and S. Jangsher Singh as secretaries, and Dr A.S. Narang, Smt. Harji Malik, S. Baljit Malik, and Dr SS Uppal as its members.
The Present Executive Committee comprises Maj.Gen. M.S.Chadha as its Patron, S. Pushpinder Singh Chopra President, S.R.S. Ahuja, Vice President, S. Partap Singh, General Secretary, S. G.S. Alag, Treasurer, Mrs Harminder Kaur, Jt. Secretary, Publications, S. K.S. Ahluwalia, Joint Secretary, Formulation of New Schemes, Capt. L.S. Behl, Joint Secretary, Planning and Implementation, S. Baljit Singh, Joint Secretary, Administration. S. Harcharan Singh Nag, Dr Amarjit Singh, Narang, Mrs Bhavreen Kandhari, S. Harinder Singh are Executive Committee members and Vice Adm. (retd.) B.S. Randhawa, Lt. Gen. Dalbir Singh Sidhu, S. Manjeev Singh Puri, IFS (retd.), Dr Parmeet Singh Chadha, S. O.S. Pasricha, Air Marshal Paramjit Singh Bhangu, S. Manohar Singh Batra, S. Tarlochan Singh (former M.P), S. Tirlochan Singh, IAS (retd.) are Special Invitees.