Mohali Encroachment Drive Rekindles 1984 Trauma for Sikh Riot Survivor Families
The residents of the rehabilitation colony in Mohali’s Phase 11 Friday set up their tents as part of their continuous protests for the last three days against the Municipal Corporation and GMADA’s joint anti-encroachment drive. The joint drive that began on November 27, from Mohali’s Phase 4, had to be halted as it faced strong resistance from the residents. Following this, the authorities issued a final public notice before 1 December 2025, giving encroachers three days to remove illegal structures on their own. Failing compliance, the MC and GMADA announced that they would proceed with removals under the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. As the anti-encroachment drive reached Phase 11, the memories of the 1984 Sikh massacre came rushing back to the families who had once escaped the nightmare. Inderjit Kaur, a resident of the colony, said, “We saw our father and two brothers being thrown into fire and burnt alive by a mob. When we survived, we came here. The government at that time gave us these small rooms to live …
