2409:4050:D81:2C97:E847:311A:34E3:56A4 at 11:19, 2 November 2022

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{{Use Indian English|date=October 2017}}
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{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Hondh-Chillar massacre
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| location = Hondh-Chillar, [[Haryana]], [[India]]
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| coordinates = {{Coord|28|16|47|N|76|39|7|E|}}
| date = 2 November 1984
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| perpetrators= Mob of 200-250 persons <ref name="tehelka1984">{{cite news|url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=Ne120311EXCLUSIVE.asp|title=1984. Genocide in Pataudi. Not a whisper escaped|date=12 March 2011|work=[[Tehelka]]|publisher=Tehelka|accessdate=9 March 2011}}</ref>
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The '''Hondh-Chillar massacre'''{{#tag:ref|The village was referred to as "Hojipur" in revenue records but as "Hondh" by the residents.<ref name="bhatia1">{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-24/india/28627177_1_hondh-chillar-anti-sikh-riots-killers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323185400/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-24/india/28627177_1_hondh-chillar-anti-sikh-riots-killers|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2012|title=Killers' motive was 'revenge' at Hondh Chillar, mentions FIR|last=Bhatia|first=Ramaninder K|date=24 February 2011|pages=1–2|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=9 March 2011}}</ref> Rural villages in [[Northern India]] typically have two to three names.<ref name="bhatia1"/> Hondh was a "dhani", or cluster of farmhouses, outside the main village of Chillar.<ref name="indiatimes1">{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-23/india/28626582_1_hondh-chillar-village-manwinder-singh-giaspur|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323185412/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-23/india/28626582_1_hondh-chillar-village-manwinder-singh-giaspur|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2012|title=Chance meeting led to Hondh Chillar|date=23 Feb 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=9 March 2011}}</ref>|group=note}} ({{lang-pa|ਹੋਂਦ-ਚਿੱਲੜ ਕਤਲੇਆਮ}} {{IPA-pa|hɔ́nd tʃɪlːəɾ kə̀lːuɡɑ̀ɾɑ|}}) refers to the killings of at least 32 [[Sikhs]] on 2 November 1984 in a village in the [[Rewari district]] of [[Haryana]], allegedly by politicians 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]].

==Background==
During the [[Partition of India]], Hondh village was settled by 16 families who migrated from [[Pakistan]].<ref name="ranjan1">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/321626/Chillar-tears-lost-to-wind-as-cops-%E2%80%98lose%E2%80%99-FIR.html|title=Chillar tears lost to wind as cops 'lose' FIR|last=Ranjan|first=Rakesh|date=10 March 2011|work=The Pioneer|accessdate=9 March 2011|location=Rewari district}}</ref> Hondh was a "dhani", or cluster of farmhouses, outside the main village of Chillar.<ref name="indiatimes1"/> The families were influential and prior to the massacre the [[Sarpanch]], or mayor, of Chillar had been one of the residents of Hondh.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-23/india/28626109_1_sikhs-hondh-chillar-village-ludhianabased-manwinder-singh-giaspur|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323185416/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-23/india/28626109_1_sikhs-hondh-chillar-village-ludhianabased-manwinder-singh-giaspur|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2012|title='Evidence of abominable crime against Sikhs'|last=Bhatia|first=Ramaninder K|date=23 Feb 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=9 March 2011}}</ref>

After the October 1984 [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi]], thousands of Sikhs were killed in the [[1984 Anti-Sikh pogroms]] by congress party worker's mobs being aided by government officials who provided "trucks and state buses" as well as "weapons-including oil, kerosene, and other flammable materials".<ref name="Charny1999">{{cite book|last=Charny|first=Israel W.|title=Encyclopedia of genocide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Q30HcvCVuIC&pg=PA516|accessdate=21 February 2011|year=1999|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-87436-928-1|pages=516–517}}</ref> at 10 AM on 2 November, a truck and a bus carrying "200-250" Congress young men arrived at the village.<ref name="tehelka1984"/> They began attacking the Sikhs armed with rods, [[Fighting stick|lathis]], diesel, kerosene, and matches as well as chanting slogans in favor of the [[Congress (I)]] party.<ref name="ranjan1"/> For four hours the Congress members mob beat to death and burned alive 31 Sikh villagers.<ref name="tehelka1984"/> They continued to burn down the Sikhs' bungalows and [[Gurdwara]] until the villagers who were able to escape the initial attack tried to find shelter in three different houses. The mob then set two of the houses on fire by pouring kerosene through the roof.<ref name="ranjan1"/> One villager, Balwant Singh, retaliated by killing one of the rioters with a sword and another group of villagers ran out of their burning house to fight back.<ref name="tehelka1984"/><ref name="ranjan1"/> Once the villagers started fighting back the massacre "came to an abrupt halt".<ref name="tehelka1984"/>

On the night of 2 November, the 32 surviving Sikhs found shelter in a nearby village.<ref name="ranjan1"/> Under the cover of night they escaped to [[Rewari]] in a tractor trolley.<ref name="tehelka1984"/> Once the villagers started fighting back the massacre "came to an abrupt halt".<ref name="tehelka1984"/> The survivors now reside in [[Ludhiana]] and [[Bathinda]] in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]<ref>ਰੋਜਾਨਾ ਅਜੀਤ (ਜਲੰਧਰ), ਅੰਕ: 18 ਫਰਵਰੀ, 2011. ਵੇਖੋ: ਐਸ. ਐਸ. ਬਾਵਾ ਦੀ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਰਿਪੋਰਟ; ਪੰਨਾ: 1 ਅਤੇ 2</ref>

A [[First information report|FIR]] was filed by Dhanpat Singh, the then [[sarpanch]], or mayor, of Chillar at police station Jatusana in [[Mahendragarh district]], which is now in [[Rewari district]].<ref name="bhatia1"/> It reveals the killers first came from Hali Mandi{{#tag:ref|Also referred to as Haily Mandi. It is right next to Pautadi.|group=note}} around 11 AM but were persuaded by the villagers to turn around.<ref name="bhatia1"/> When they came in the evening they had several more trucks of reinforcements and a group of three Hindus had tried to persuade the killers to leave the village but were intimidated into leaving.<ref name="bhatia1"/> It reports that 20 of the dead Sikh villagers' bodies were burned beyond recognition.<ref name="bhatia1"/>

On 23 February 2011, the local police claimed to have lost the First information report, however ''[[The Times of India]]'' was able to find a signed copy of the report which had been obtained from the same police station just days earlier.<ref name="bhatia1"/>

==Pataudi massacre==

{{Quote box |quote=The media, the Sikh organizations, the politicians had all labeled the riots as the ‘Delhi riots’...We were scared and alone, what could we do? We did not have the time, resources or support to fight against the system. And to be honest, when you lose your whole world, your will to fight dies. -Survivor quoted by [[Tehelka]]<ref name="tehelka1984"/>
|width = 50% |align = right}}
At 6 PM on 1 November 1984 after Indira Gandhi was shot, a mob under the guidance of Congress leader [[Lalit Maken]] set fire to [[Pataudi]]'s [[Gurdwara]] which created a panic in the city.<ref name="tehelka1984"/> As the armed mob rampaged through the town and set fire to Sikh homes in the city, one group of Sikhs escaped to the outskirts while another found shelter in local [[Ashram]].<ref name="tehelka1984"/>

On 2 November, the Sikhs returned to the city to see the damage done to their homes. Left tired and crying in front of their homes, they became separated from each other, and at 10 AM the mob returned and began burning people alive. Many of the Sikhs were able to escape but the Congress mob captured 17 of them, murdered them, and burned their remains to remove evidence.<ref name="tehelka1984"/>

Although the survivors filed multiple FIRs with the police, none of the assailants were captured or prosecuted. After the massacre many Sikh families fled and only five families remain out of thirty that were settled prior to the massacre.<ref name="tehelka1984"/>

==Rediscovery==
On 22 January 2011, an engineer in [[Gurgaon]], [[Haryana]], [[Manwinder Singh Giaspura]], struck up a conversation with a delivery boy who talked about a "deserted village of Sardars{{#tag:ref|[[Sardar]] is a title commonly used for Sikhs in India.|group=note}}" near his own village.<ref name="indiatimes1"/> When the boy began talking about [[arson]], Giaspur realized he was talking about the [[1984 anti-Sikh pogroms]].<ref name="indiatimes1"/> The boy further told him that recently people had begun to steal wood and bricks from the site so on 23 January Giaspura drove to Chillar and found the site of the massacre.<ref name="indiatimes1"/> After seeing bones inside a building and quotations from the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] on the walls he realized the building was a [[Gurdwara]]. Giaspura then uploaded "50-60" pictures of the village onto [[Facebook]] and sent appeals to various [[Punjabi language]] newspapers to investigate and preserve the site.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-23/india/28626109_1_sikhs-hondh-chillar-village-ludhianabased-manwinder-singh-giaspur|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323185416/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-23/india/28626109_1_sikhs-hondh-chillar-village-ludhianabased-manwinder-singh-giaspur|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2012|title='Evidence of abominable crime against Sikhs'|accessdate=9 March 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=23 February 2011}}</ref> After not receiving help from the [[SGPC]], Giaspura contacted the [[All India Sikh Students Federation]] and [[Sikhs for Justice]]. On 13 March, the man who discovered the site of the massacre was asked to resign from his position as [[general manager]] of V&S International Pvt Ltd, allegedly for his role in exposing the massacre.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-13/india/28685890_1_manwinder-singh-giaspur-garment-exports-judicial-probe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323190056/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-13/india/28685890_1_manwinder-singh-giaspur-garment-exports-judicial-probe|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2012|title=Man who exposed Hondh Chillar loses job|last=Singh|first=IP|date=13 March 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=15 March 2011}}</ref>

===Reactions===
On 2 March 2011 members of [[Akali Dal]], the main Sikh political party in India, demanded that the [[Lok Sabha]], India's parliament, form a probe to look into the massacre.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1501655.ece|title=Alleged killing of Sikhs disrupts proceedings|last=KUMAR|first=VINAY|date=2 March 2011|work=[[The Hindu]]|accessdate=12 March 2011|location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

[[Dal Khalsa (International)]] is attempting to appeal to [[United Nations]] officials in [[Delhi]] to send a team to investigate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-03/india/28650418_1_kanwar-pal-singh-dal-khalsa-sikh|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323185408/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-03/india/28650418_1_kanwar-pal-singh-dal-khalsa-sikh|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2012|title=Dal Khalsa to ask UN officials to investigate|accessdate=9 March 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=3 March 2011}}</ref> The [[American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee]] organized a meeting with the [[United States Department of State|US State Department]] to discuss related human rights violations and legal action.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sify.com/news/agpc-delegation-meets-us-authorities-over-hondh-chillar-killing-news-national-ldjpEhigcjj.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019232508/http://www.sify.com/news/agpc-delegation-meets-us-authorities-over-hondh-chillar-killing-news-national-ldjpEhigcjj.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 October 2012|title=AGPC delegation meets US authorities over Hondh-Chillar killing|date=3 March 2011|work=[[Sify]]|accessdate=12 March 2011}}</ref>

[[Sikhs for Justice]] has maintained that the [[1984 anti-Sikh pogroms]] were an organized attempt at genocide and that government commissions set up to investigate them have purposely not investigated violence outside of [[Delhi]] to cover up systematic patterns of violence against Sikhs throughout India.<ref name="punjabspectrum1">{{cite news|url=http://www.punjabspectrum.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2562:appeal-to-sikh-community-to-reach-village-hondh-chillar-on-march-6th&catid=145:articles&Itemid=146|title=AISSF & Sikhs for Justice declared to preserve village Hondh-Chillar as "Sikh Genocide Memorial" site|date=19 February 2011|publisher=Punjab Spectrum|accessdate=10 March 2011}}</ref> In response to this discovery the [[AISSF]] and [[Sikhs for Justice]] have established a trust to find other sites like Hondh-Chillar throughout India.<ref name="punjabspectrum1"/>

On 4 March, an [[Ardās]] was held at the [[Akal Takht]] for the victims of the massacre.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sify.com/news/ardass-diwas-held-at-akal-takht-for-the-first-time-in-26-years-news-national-ldeqkhajjci.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307193338/http://www.sify.com/news/ardass-diwas-held-at-akal-takht-for-the-first-time-in-26-years-news-national-ldeqkhajjci.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 March 2011|title=Ardass Diwas held at Akal Takht for the first time in 26 years|work=[[Sify]]|accessdate=12 March 2011}}</ref>

On 12 March, [[Sikhs for Justice]] met with [[UNESCO]] director general [[Irina Bokova]] in New York to discuss preserving the ruins as a heritage site.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|url=http://www.sify.com/news/sikh-group-asks-unesco-to-preserve-haryana-ruins-news-international-ldmkOddhefe.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019234158/http://www.sify.com/news/sikh-group-asks-unesco-to-preserve-haryana-ruins-news-international-ldmkOddhefe.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 October 2012|title=Sikh group asks UNESCO to preserve Haryana ruins|date=12 March 2011|work=[[Sify]]|accessdate=15 March 2011}}</ref> They also consulted with [[archeologist]]s who had worked on [[Holocaust]] sites for advice.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

==See also==
*[[List of massacres in India]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.sikhsiyasat.net/tag/hondh-massacre/ Recent News Updates on Hondh Massacre] from SikhSiyasat.Net

[[Category:1984 in India|Anti-Sikh Riots]]
[[Category:Massacres in 1984]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress]]
[[Category:1984 anti-Sikh riots]]
[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in India]]
[[Category:Massacres of Sikhs]]
[[Category:Rewari district]]
[[Category:1980s in Haryana]]
[[Category:Rajiv Gandhi administration]]
[[Category:Assassination of Indira Gandhi]]
[[Category:Crime in Haryana]]
[[Category:November 1984 events in Asia]]
[[Category:Persecution by Hindus]]

Hondh-Chillar massacre - Revision history

2409:4050:D81:2C97:E847:311A:34E3:56A4 at 11:19, 2 November 2022