H. S. Phoolka

Last updated

The fight for justice by the riot victims sent a message that the powerful and the mighty could be challenged and demolished. They were like a rock and riot victims were like ants trying to push the rock. Over the years, with our efforts, we have been able to force the rock to roll and now it rolls like a football the moment we come near it. If we stop in our efforts, it would again become stationary and grow into a mountain. [21]

Before the 1984 riots, there were no criminals in politics. Criminals just followed the politicians. But 1984 made them realise people leading mobs and killing others could get elected and become leaders......So a way was opened for criminals to make politics a profession. [6]

Book

Phoolka, along with human rights activist and journalist Manoj Mitta, has written the first account of the 1984 Anti-Sikh massacre in the form of a book titled When a Tree Shook Delhi. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zail Singh</span> President of India from 1982 to 1987

Giani Zail Singh was an Indian politician from Punjab who served as the seventh president of India from 1982 to 1987 and 9th Chief Minister of Punjab. He was the first Sikh to become president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagdish Tytler</span> Indian politician

Jagdish Tytler is an Indian politician and former Member of Parliament. He has held several government positions, the last being as Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs, a post from which he resigned after publication of a report by an official commission of inquiry, known as the Nanavati Commission. The commission had accused that he had a hand in organizing attacks on the Sikh community in Delhi after Sikh bodyguards assassinated the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He has been charged with crimes related to those riots by CBI who filed a chargesheet against Jagdish Tytler on May 20, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simranjit Singh Mann</span> Indian politician (born 1955)

Simranjit Singh Mann is a former Indian Police Service officer and a Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the constituency of Sangrur since 2022. He is the president of the political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Mann has served three-times as an MP; once from Taran Tarn between 1989 and 1991, and twice from Sangrur between 1999-2004 and since 2022. He is known as a Khalistani supporter and his party is known for their pro-Khalistan stances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harjinder Singh Jinda</span> Indian assassin

Harjinder Singh Jinda was a Sikh militant and one of the two assassins of Arun Vaidya. He was responsible for three high-profile assassinations: Arjan Dass, Lalit Maken and Gen. Vaidya. He along with other members of Khalistan Commando Force participated in Indian history's biggest bank robbery of ₹ 57 million from Punjab National Bank, Miller Gunj branch, Ludhiana to finance the militancy for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dashmesh Regiment</span>

The Dashmesh Regiment is a militant group, and is part of the Khalistan movement to create a Sikh homeland called Khalistan via armed struggle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhdev Singh Sukha</span> Sikh militant and convicted assassin (1962–1992)

Sukhdev Singh Sukha was a Sikh militant and one of the two assassins of Arun Vaidya. He was responsible for three high-profile assassinations; Arjan Dass, Lalit Maken and Gen. Vaidya. He along with other members of Khalistan Commando Force participated in Indian history's biggest bank robbery of ₹ 57 million from Punjab National Bank, Miller Gunj branch, Ludhiana to finance the militancy for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan.

Citizen's Justice Committee is an Indian umbrella organization of various human rights organizations and is known for pro bono representing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims in their legal battle to gain justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 anti-Sikh riots</span> Series of organised pogroms in India after PM Indira Gandhis assassination

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh massacre, was a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Government estimates project that about 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi and 3,350 nationwide, whilst other sources estimate the number of deaths at about 8,000–17,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hondh-Chillar massacre</span>

The Hondh-Chillar massacre refers to the killings of at least 32 Sikhs on 2 November 1984 in a hamlet in the Rewari district of Haryana, allegedly by a political mob during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The local police did not intervene in the massacre, pursue a first information report filed by survivors, or help resettle the survivors. The mass graves at the massacre were rediscovered in January 2011. A similar massacre occurred in nearby Pataudi.

The Dharam Yuddh Morcha was a political movement launched on 4 August 1982, by the Akali Dal in partnership with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, with its stated aim being the fulfillment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the Anandpur Sahib Resolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balwant Singh Rajoana</span> Convicted Indian assassin

Balwant Singh Rajoana was convicted for the assassination of Beant Singh on 31 August 1995. Rajoana was sentenced to death on 1 August 2007 by a special CBI court in Chandigarh. Beant Singh was killed by Balwant Singh's associate Dilawar Singh Babbar and Balwant Singh was the backup human bomb to be used had Dilawar failed in his mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manpreet Singh Ayali</span> Indian politician

Manpreet Singh Ayali is an Indian politician and leader of Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab Legislative Assembly, and is currently Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Dakha Assembly constituency.

Harinder Singh Khalsa is an Indian politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Bathinda during 1996-98 as a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal. In 2014, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party and was elected as an MP from Fatehgarh Sahib. He joined Bharatiya Janata Party in March 2019 but left the party in December 2020 to give his support to 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest.

Ranjit Singh Narula was a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and former Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court from May 1974 to October 1977. He was the acting Governor of Punjab in September 1977. He was earlier the Governor of Haryana from March to September 1976.

Sukhbir Singh Badal is an Indian politician and Sikh rights advocate who served thrice as the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab and is currently the president of Shiromani Akali Dal, along with being a member of Parliament from the Firozpur Lok Sabha constituency. He is the son of Parkash Singh Badal, who has served five times as the Chief Minister of Punjab. He holds lots of power over the Sikh organizations of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. A businessman at heart, Badal and his family have ownership stakes in an array of businesses- including real estate, transport and other activities to promote Punjab's economic condition on a national level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhs for Justice</span> US-based Sikh separatist group

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is a US-based secessionist group that supports the formation of Khalistan. Founded and primarily headed by lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in 2009, the organization was created in response to the lack of litigation to convict the murders and massacres of Sikhs after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad</span> Indian politician

Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad is an Indian Sikh politician and former President of All India Sikh Students Federation. As of 2022, he is serving as general secretary and spokesperson of Shiromani Akali Dal.

On September 5, 1985, at 9:20 am member of the Delhi Metropolitan Council, close associate of Sanjay Gandhi, and Congress leader Arjun Dass was assassinated by 3 Sikhs in Delhi. The assassins were Harjinder Singh Jinda, Sukhdev Singh Sukha, and another member of Jinda's group. They killed Dass in revenge for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Along with Arjun Dass his bodyguard, a constable, was killed and 6 others were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmeet Singh (militant)</span> 8th Chief of Khalistan Liberation Force

Harmeet Singh also known as PhD or Happy was the 8th chief of Khalistan Liberation Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harminder Singh Nihang</span>

Harminder Singh Nihang, also known as Harminder Singh Mintoo, was a prominent Sikh militant and the 7th leader of Khalistan Liberation Force. Nihang was instrumental in reinvigorating the Khalistan Movement in the 21st Century. Nihang died in police custody.

References

  1. ↑ H S Phoolka is leader of opposition in Punjab assembly
  2. 1 2 Punjab's leader of Opposition H S Phoolka resigns, wants to help anti-Sikh riot victims
  3. ↑ "Judges have been a party to a cover-up". India Times (English Daily). Retrieved 28 December 2008. He has been the force behind setting up of the Citizen's Justice Committee and has spearheaded one of the longest and most torturous legal battles for the riot victims.
  4. ↑ Warrier, K. Hari (20 October 1996). "Advocate of a just cause". The Pioneer. Twelve years ago, Phoolka was just another lawyer trying to find his feet in the legal jungle of Delhi. Then came assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the genocide of Sikhs in the capital. Phoolka himself did not suffer. But the event turned his life upside down, into a long crusade for the victims of the massacre against the entire system which allowed itself to be a silent witness of those gory days…
  5. 1 2 Mustafa, Seema (9 August 2005). "1984 Sikhs Massacres: Mother of All Cover-ups". Front page story. The Asian Age. p. 1.
  6. 1 2 3 Agal, Renu (11 August 2005). "Justice delayed, justice denied". BBC News.
  7. ↑ "Judges have been a party to a cover-up". India Times (English Daily). Retrieved 28 December 2008. HKL Bhagat and Sajjan Kumar were very powerful those days. My wife gave me her full support though other member of my family had some apprehensions and said this is too dangerous a work. But my response was that if on October 31, 1984, I could pass through a burning gurdwara, this was certainly less dangerous. Slowly young boys and girls joined our team. They visited areas dominated by Sajjan Kumar and HKL Bhagat and worked day and night. We were getting threatening letters, but nobody got scared. Soli Sorabjee, Tarkunde and Sikri were there with us through all this.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Deb, Sandipan (October 1996). "Fifty Faces, A Million Reasons". Outlook (magazine, first anniversary special edition).
  9. ↑ "AAP releases its list of first 20 Candidates for Lok Sabha Polls 2014". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  10. ↑ Phoolka's resignation accepted by speaker
  11. 1 2 3 "Authors". SikhSpectrum Quarterly. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  12. ↑ "No justice for 84 carnage victims". The Statesman. 30 October 1998. Fourteen years after the November 1984 genocide that claimed, officially 2,733 Sikh lives in the capital, victims families continue to await compensation. Mr H S Phoolka, member-secretary of the Justice Narula Committee set up by Chief Minister, Mr. Madan Lal Khurana to probe the carnage in 1993, laments that 'not a single person' has been punished so far. Mr. Phoolka, who is the Central Government standing counsel in the High Court and convenor of Citizens Justice Committee set up after Indira Gandhi's murder in October 1984, suggested a one-man commission be constituted to decide cases where the government has rejected/disputed victims claims.
  13. 1 2 "Senior govt counsel quits". Indian Express (Newspaper). 13 February 2001.
  14. ↑ Warrier, K. Hari (20 October 1996). "Advocate of a just cause". The Pioneer. Apart from a conscience, Phoolka is also an unusual lawyer in that he doesn't take on a case if he feels that client is in the wrong
  15. ↑ "H.S. Phoolka to Join AAP". Outlook Magazine. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  16. ↑ Doval, Nikita (11 March 2017). "Punjab election results: H.S. Phoolka wins Dakha seat, loses political hot seat". mint. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  17. ↑ IANS (15 March 2017). "AAP MLA H S Phoolka to be Leader of Opposition in Punjab". Business Standard India. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  18. ↑ "HS Phoolka resigns as leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly". Hindustan Times. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  19. ↑ "Turning Anna Movement Into Party Was Wrong: HS Phoolka After Quitting AAP". NDTV.com. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  20. ↑ John, Shobha (13 July 2003). "The X-Files: Where the mob goes scot free". The Economic Times.
  21. 1 2 3 Suryamurthy, R. (3 December 2001). "A lawyer obsessed with the rights of riot victims". The Tribune.
  22. 1 2 Warrier, K. Hari (20 October 1996). "Advocate of a just cause". The Pioneer. …if it were not for my wife, I would not have been able to do all this. She was the one who kept the house going when I didn't have a steady income. I refused a couple of good jobs in the US because I was not willing to abandon my work half-way
  23. ↑ "Judges have been a party to a cover-up". India Times (English Daily). Retrieved 28 December 2008. (Where were you on October 31, 1984?) – Phoolka: I was at the High Court when I heard of Indira Gandhi's assassination. I picked up my pregnant wife from my office and was driving to out home in south Delhi on my motorbike. At a traffic crossing, a friend called to warn me about attacks on Sikhs a few meters ahead. Skirting the main roads, I drove through slum clusters of Kotla Mubarakpur to reach home safely. But looking back we could see smoke bellowing from the South Extension market. The Kotla gurdwara was burning and bodies of the head had begun to pile up.
  24. ↑ Warrier, K. Hari (20 October 1996). "Advocate of a just cause". The Pioneer. They were living in the first floor house in South Extension, one of the areas badly hit in the riots. His landlord told the invaders that the Phoolkas has left Delhi. He later took them into his house and hid them in the store room. A couple of days later, there was fire in the neighbouring house, and when the fire-fighters and Army personnel came in, the Phoolkas managed to escape with escort. "I didn't go to a relief camp. If I had I would have known at once what was going on.
  25. 1 2 "Justice Narula passes away". The Tribune (Chandigarh). 7 November 1985.
  26. ↑ "Judicial inquiry into November 1984 riots". BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. The Press Trust of India. 31 July 1985.
  27. ↑ Tenorio, Vyvyan (6 June 1986). "Victimized Sikhs await redress". Christian Science Monitor (Boston). p. 19.
  28. ↑ "1,50,000 visit website on '84 riots since launch on July 10". The Press Trust of India. 21 July 2001. p. 19.
  29. ↑ "Senior lawyer HS Phoolka joins AAP". IBNLive. 7 January 2014. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  30. ↑ "IndiaVotes; PC Ludhiana 2014".
  31. ↑ "Defamation suit: Tytler may depose in city court today". Indian Express. 11 September 2008.
Harvinder Singh Phoolka
H. S. Phoolka.jpg
Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly
In office
16 March 2017 –12 October 2018
National posts
Political Affairs Committee
National Executive Committee
Spokespersons
State wings
Current chief ministers
Current members of Parliament
Political wings
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.