Punjab govt to form committee of '84 riot victims

Patiala, Nov 8 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today led the nation in offering collective prayers at Gurudwara Sri Dukhniwaran Sahib here, for expediting justice to the thousands of families of the 1984 anti Sikh riots viclims and for the peace to the departed souls.

Mr Badal had appealed to all right thinking people throughout the world to assemble in their respective religious places and offer collective prayer on November eight, which he hoped, would move the conscious of the world community that the '84 riot victim families deserved justice.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Badal announced that a state-level committee of victims of ’84 carnage would be constituted soon under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister. Victims settled in various cities and towns of the state would be given adequate representation in the proposed committee so that their grievances could be redressed at the earliest.

He further said the SAD would provide best possible legal aid, in the form of services of renowned lawyers, to the members of the victims families so that they could take the criminal cases to their logical end and to ensure them justice.

The Akali leader demanded that the Congress-led UPA must re-open and re-investigate each case, with an aim to ensure justice to the victims and survivors of the ‘ riot. He said all those responsible for the terrible act must be brought to justice, whether they were political leaders, policemen or government officials.

Mr Badal said it was a matter of great shame for the world’s largest democracy that even after a struggle of 25 years these families had not got justice.

Urging the people to have faith in different religions to standby the families of the victims, he expressed confidence that the collective prayer of people would expedite the justice delivery system and provide solace to the families of victims.

He thanked the religious, leaders of all faiths for organising community prayers today on his call to express solidarity with the cause of the victims.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
Unauthorised publication of any content from NewKerala.Com is prohibited