Punjab political party protests against lack of justice for 1984 riot victims
New Delhi: Activists of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), a regional political party in Punjab, staged a protest in the national capital against lack of justice to the families of those who were killed after the assassination of former
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, 25 years ago. Gurinder Pal Singh Dhanaula, General
Secretary of the SAD (Amritsar), said that through the protest they were demanding
justice for the families, which had lost its members. "Today 25 years have completed
after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in New Delhi, scores of innocent Sikhs
were burnt alive by the administration and leaders of Congress. Till now, no proper
legal trial has taken place against the culprits. We demand justice," said Gurinder
Pal Singh Dhanaula, General Secretary, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (Amritsar). Official
figures confirm that 2,733 people were killed during the riots-- many of them
burnt alive. Rights groups put the toll at over 4000. A majority of the Sikhs
killed in the 1984 riots died in New Delhi where about 600 cases of arson, killing
and rioting were registered, but police closed half of them, ostensibly for lack
of evidence. Only around 10 people have been convicted of murder.
