Punjab political party protests against lack of justice for 1984 riot victims

New Delhi, Oct.31 : Activists of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), a regional political party in Punjab, staged a protest in the national capital against the 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.

--ANI