1984 anti-Sikh riots: SAD takes out protest march in Delhi to seek justice for victims

Nov 3 (AZINS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday took out a protest march to seek justice for the families of those killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The march, led by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, started from Gurudwara Pratapganj and ended outside Parliament Street police station.

Protesters raised slogans against the Congress party and its leaders, and demanded justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which a large number of Sikhs were killed in the national capital and in other parts of the country in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards.

The SAD president, who led the march, addressed the protesters from atop an open truck. Other leaders of SAD including Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Delhi Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Manjinder Singh Sirsa walked along with the protesters.

Expressing her angst over the alleged injustice, Harsimrat Kaur Badal told ANI: "It has been 34 years since our community is demanding justice. Thousands of Sikhs were killed, a lot many women were raped and a lot of people lost their homes. Such atrocity is a stain on the history of India. Roads of Delhi became red with the blood of Sikhs but even till today no-one has got justice. Why doesn't judiciary take suo-moto action?"

MLA Sirsa said, "We are going to surround Sonia Gandhi's house. Congress has been defending its leaders Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, and we demand that they should stop doing so. It has been 34 years and Rahul Gandhi says that Congress had no role it. We allege that Congress is trying to save its leader because they only masterminded this massacre."

A suspicious drone was also confiscated by the police after it was seen hovering over the SAD leaders while they were addressing the protesters on the road. The person, who was operating the drone, was also detained by the police.

The Delhi Police later detained the protesters after they tried to break the cordon. Shiromani Akali Dal protesters also burnt effigies during their protest in Delhi.

According to official records, about 2,800 Sikhs were killed across India, including 2,100 in Delhi, during the violence that broke out after then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.