A day after former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath was seen inciting Congress workers in a viral video to ‘set fire’ over the ongoing farmers’ stir, another video of him regarding his questionable conduct during the 1984 Sikh genocide has now surfaced on social media.
In an interview with ‘journalist’ Barkha Dutt on NDTV in June 2016, Kamal Nath said that he should be applauded for his ‘service’ during the anti-Sikh riots. At around 4:10 minutes into the conversation, the Congress leader read an excerpt from the Nanavati Commission report.
“It is not possible for the Commission to say that he has in any manner instigated the mob or he was involved in the attack on the Gurduwara. Before that they say, therefore, it would not be proper to come to the conclusion that Shri Kamal Nath had in any manner instigated the mob,” he read.
However, Kamal Nath deliberately omitted a key phrase ‘in the absence of better evidence’ from the excerpt. As such, the Nanvati Commission did not exonerate him but instead pointed out to the lack of good investigation and gathering of strong evidence. On being confronted by Barkha Dutt, Kamal Nath claimed that he was there on November 1, 1984 at the Gurudwara Rakab Ganj and stopped the Congress sponsored mob from attacking Sikhs and the Gurdwara.
The Nanavati Commission also made a crucial observation that the reply filed by the Congress leader in the affidavit was ‘vague.’ It reiterated that Kamal Nath failed to provide exact information about whether he reached the Gurdwara alone or with the mob that he was a part of. He had also failed to answer whether he looked for police or sought help to stop the frenzied mob. In his defence, he claimed that the affidavit was filed after 22 years, and as such he couldn’t recollect the details.
He justified saying that he tried to even pacify the mob and that the police asked him to do so. He also alleged that his ‘timely intervention’ helped police to bring in additional forces and restraint the crowd. Kamal Nath said, “And I think I should be applauded for it.” He also added that he did not regret his actions at the Gurdwara.
The findings of the Nanavati Commission report
Monish Sanjay Suri, witness No. 17, testified before the Nanavati Commission against the Congress leader. “He (Suri) stated that Kamal Nath tried to control the crowd and the crowd was looking at him for directions. He did not hear Kamal Nath giving any direction to the mob. He merely saw him speaking to different persons who were in the mob. He reiterated before the Commission that Kamal Nath did not make any attempt to control the situation near the Gurudwara,” the report noted. At the same time, the Nanavati Commission remarked that Kamal Nath had left before the arrival of the Police Commissioner.
Witness No. 2 Mukhtiar Singh, who lived in the Gurdwara quarters, deposed that at around 4 pm, he saw a huge crowd of 4000 people led by Congress leader Kamal Nath. The Commission however said that Singh was standing quite a distance away from the Congress leader and that it wasn’t possible for him to overhear the conversation between Nath and the mob. As such, the report said that Singh’s inference was based on gestures made by Kamal Nath and thus not ‘conclusive’ evidence. Kamal Nath was never tried in court for his questionable role in the 1984 Sikh genocide.
Kamal Nath directs Congress workers to engage in arson
Yesterday, a 20-second long video was released by the Madhya Pradesh BJP Unit in which Kamal Nath could be seen addressing a virtual meeting and urging the Congress workers that it was the right moment to ‘set fire’ and fight for justice for farmers. “Tum logon ko aag lagani hai. Maine kaha tha yeh aag lagane ka mauka hai. Kisaano ke saath nyay ho… dusra kaam hai aag lagao (You people have to set fire. I have told you this is the right opportunity to set fire. Let there be justice for farmers…The second task is to set fire),” Kamal Nath could be heard in the video.
The farmer protests have been continuing along the Delhi borders for over six months. There is enough evidence to suggest that the protests are inorganic and politically motivated. In their bid to undermine the central government, the Congress party fueled the protests, which also saw the involvement of Khalistani elements and their sympathisers such as Deep Sidhu, Khalsa Aid and other dubious characters and entities.
The support of Punjab Congress leaders to the protest was initially apparent, but as the protest snowballed into a widespread demonstration, senior Congress leaders also threw their weight behind the protests, which later turned violent when protester stormed the national capital on the republic day. The Congress party was seen celebrating the violence that convulsed Delhi on January 26, 2021.
