‘It’ll Cement Our Scars, Not Heal Wounds’

Ranjit Singh Gill alias Kuki spent 18 years in jail for gunning down Congress politician Lalit Maken, allegedly responsible for orchestrating the killing of Sikhs in 1984. An avid blogger today, he coaches rural students in basketball. Excerpts from an interview:

You have a violent past and took up the gun against people like Lalit Maken. Why are you opposed to a memorial for Operation Bluestar?

Organisations like the SGPC and the Damdami Taksal, which are now spearheading the memorial, had a role to play in the violent movement which engulfed our community in the ’80s. The lives of many young men like me were ruined in the fire. But today, we have no say in this upcoming memorial, nor is anyone bothered about us and our rehabilitation. I’m not clear whether it is a memorial for peace or a symbol of all that Bhindranwale stood for. The Akal Takht which was rebuilt after its destruction during Bluestar is itself a memorial and could be commemorated with a plaque. But building this gurudwara amounts to cementing the scars of people like us, instead of healing our wounds.

Is the SAD playing politics?

This is the same Akali Dal which started the agitation in the ’80s to press for issues concerning Sikhs and the state of Punjab, which led to a violent spiral that culminated in the attack on Harmandir Sahib and the resultant violence against Sikhs in 1984. They have a lot to answer for their own role in the movement. The memorial, in reality, shadows the real issues concerning us, The issues of our river waters, separate capital and high court and the Punjabi language and poor governance, which made Bhindranwale a hero, still exist.

It is being compared to the Jewish holocaust memorial...

This is a false analogy being given by our Sikh leadership. The Jews suffered just like us, but with each step, they rebuilt their lost dignity, pride and ultimately their own state. As a community, they never let down the very people who suffered and fought, like our Sikh leadership has done.

Will it shatter Punjab’s peace?

Isolated statements in Parliament by the PM are not enough, the Congress should accept collective guilt for what it did. The gap between Amritsar and New Delhi still exists and with the poor state of governance and hopelessness that pervades our youth, a spark like the Rajoana incident can lead to trouble.