NGOs, rights groups keep fight for justice alive

As Delhi marked 41 years since the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, Jantar Mantar once again became a space for remembrance and resistance, not only for survivors, but also for organisations that have spent decades pursuing justice through courts, commissions and public advocacy.

The commemoration, led by Lok Raj Sangathan (LRS), drew participation from rights groups and civil society organisations, including the All-India Peace Mission, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and others, who have played a role in keeping the issue alive through legal interventions, documentation and public campaigns.

“We have been organising this meeting every year for nearly two decades,” said S Raghavan, president of Lok Raj Sangathan. “It was not a riot, it was a well-organised, well-planned genocide carried out with the support of the state machinery,” Raghavan said. His organisation has consistently supported families still pursuing justice, helping them navigate legal cases that remain unresolved. “Commissions gathered evidence, but governments never acted. Our effort has been to keep public memory alive,” he said.

S Raghavan recalled how mobs armed with kerosene and tyres surrounded Sikh homes in East Delhi in 1984.

“Families were locked inside and burnt alive as tyres were thrown in and set ablaze,” he said. “It was systematic; fuel, lists and weapons were all supplied with official support.”

Representatives from the All India Peace Mission (AIPM) said they attend such gatherings to remind people that reconciliation cannot happen without truth. “Those who identified Sikh homes and led mobs must be punished,” said Daya Singh from the AIPM. “We cannot bring back what was lost, but the truth must be acknowledged.” The Mission, which began as a citizens’ initiative after the 1984 violence, continues to document survivor testimonies and push for community dialogue.

Several organisations at the event said the 1984 cases reflect a larger pattern of impunity in India’s communal violence. Prof Salim Engineer, vice-president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said that remembrance must also mean reflection. “What happened in 1984 was a crime against humanity,” he said. “Governments have changed, but the mindset that allows minorities to be targeted has not. We must build solidarity across communities to ensure such hate never repeats,” he said.

Political groups such as the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), which provides legal assistance in riot and hate crime cases, also joined in the commemoration. “When the state itself becomes complicit in violence, it destroys the very foundation of justice,” said Abdul Mueed Hashmi of SDPI. “The victims of 1984, like those of later massacres, are still waiting for accountability.”

For these organisations, the gathering is not symbolic. It represents a continuing legal and moral fight to confront the failures of the justice system. Over the decades, NGOs have assisted survivors with court cases, compensation claims and documentation, much of which has helped reopen stalled investigations and sustain public pressure.