Finally, some justice delivered: Riot victims’ kin

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 17

As the Delhi High Court awarded life imprisonment to senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, the victims of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 welcomed the verdict. However, they demanded that Sajjan Kumar and other Congress leaders involved in the Sikh massacre be sentenced to death.

Recalling the horrible day of her life, 59-year-old Charanjit Kaur said the mob had burnt her newborn twins, a boy and a girl, alive outside their residence in the Sultanpuri area of Delhi on November 2. She had delivered her babies two days ago.

“I had no picture of my babies who were burnt alive. After 34 years, we have got some justice. We thank to the families who fought the case,” she said.

Charanjit’s sister-in-law, Bhupinder Kaur (70), was with the newborn babies when the mob attacked their house. The mob killed her husband, two brothers-in-law, uncle and nephew before tossing the newborn babies into the fire, she said.

“The mob had killed seven members of my family. I was trying to hide the babies but they snatched them from me and burnt them alive,” she recalled.

As the court delivered life imprisonment to Sajjan Kumar this morning, the victim families gathered at the CRPF Colony here and demanded strict punishment for the other accused. 

Gurdeep Kaur of the women’s wing of 1984 Sikh Katle-Aam Peerat Welfare Society said they had got some relief as the court awarded life imprisonment to Sajjan Kumar. “Sajjan Kumar was leading and instigating the mob. We wanted that he must be given death penalty. Now, he will spend his remaining life in jail. The other killers of Sikhs should also be thrown into jail. The other Congress leaders, including Jagdish Tytlor and Kamal Nath, who is going to take oath as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, were also involved in the killing of Sikhs. They should not be spared.”

Gurdeep said she, along with the members of her family, lived in the Mangolpuri area of Delhi when the anti-Sikh riots took place. “After the death of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the mob reached our area. They carried some powder-like substance and petrol. They were searching homes of Sikhs with the help of the voter lists. They burnt my two brothers-in-law alive and also injured my husband. They had destroyed our houses and business. After the Sikh massacre, we shifted to Punjab in 1985,” she said.

Surjit Singh, president of the 1984 Danga Peerat Welfare Society, Punjab, said this historic order had come after a long period of 34 years. “In 1984, 10,000 Sikhs were killed in the country. Of them, 6,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone. Sajjan Kumar and many other Congress leaders were mainly involved in the Sikh massacre. The court has awarded life imprisonment to Sajjan Kumar but he deserves death sentence for his sins,” he said.

Bains brothers welcome the HC verdict

Lok Insaaf Party MLAs Simarjit Singh Bains and Balwinder Singh Bains have welcomed the court verdict of awarding life imprisonment to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar. They demanded that Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and other leaders, who were allegedly involved in the anti-Sikh riots, should be given strict punishment. As the role of the Congress has been exposed, it is to be seen how Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu would face the public now, they said.

Recalling the horror

"After the death of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the mob reached our area. They carried some powder-like substance and petrol. They were searching the homes of Sikhs with the help of the voter lists. They burnt my two brothers-in-law alive and also injured my husband. They had destroyed our houses and business. After the Sikh massacre, we shifted to Punjab in 1985." — Gurdeep Kaur, from 1984 Sikh Katle-Aam Peerat Welfare Society