1984, Anti-Sikh riot cases witness development after 34 years
NP NEWS 24 ONLINE: On 17th December, Supreme court gave life imprisonment verdict to Sajjan Kumar for killing five Sikhs – Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh, who were members of the same family – by a mob in Delhi Cantonment’s Raj Nagar area.
The Delhi HC in October had reserved its order on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea that challenged the trial’s court judgment where Sajjan Kumar was acquitted and five others were convicted in the case.
The CBI filed appeals and alleged that all of them “planned communal riot” and were involved in “religious cleansing” after the then Prime Minister’s assassination. The crime investigating agency also challenged Sajjan Kumar’s acquittal.
But the question is who is responsible for 3350 people who were affected?
Nanavati Committee submitted its report in February 2004 saying that the recorded accounts from victims and witnesses indicate that Congress leaders in sighted the mobs in attacking the Sikhs where they recommended the reopening of 4 cases of 241 cases whereas BJP demanded reopening of all the cases.
In 2013, the trial court had convicted five others – former Councillor Balwan Khokkar, former legislator Mahender Yadav, Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal – for their involvement in the case.
Modi also set up a committee to examine the possibility of constituting a Special Investigation Team for re-investigating all the cases. In 2018, Supreme Court decided to set up a 3-member SIT to look afresh at 186 cases that had been closed earlier. 10 cases have been convicted and only 25 were given life imprisonment that is less than 1%.
But what led the anti-Sikh riot?
Following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards on 31st October in 1984, widespread attack on Sikhs began across a large part of North India
According to some figures, by the time the violence ended, 3350 Sikhs had been massacred of which 2733 were killed.
In 1972, in Punjab state elections, Congress defeated Akali Dal and won. Akalis wanted more autonomy for Punjab and they put forward the Anandpur Sahib Resolution which demanded that many powers be transferred to the state to the central government and Congress rejected the demand.
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