Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s decision to grant Rs5 lakh financial assistance to the kin of each of 3325 victims of infamous 1984 riots, couple of days before its 30th anniversary, was hailed by the SAD-BJP leaders in Punjab.

Terming as “noble gesture towards hapless innocent victims”, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday thanked the Centre, in general, and Prime Minister, in particular, for paying immediate attention to the need for applying balm on the deep and still bleeding wounds of the Sikh community.

Badal described the decision as “a concrete and meaningful step towards relief for the victims of 1984 massacre of innocents by goons, killers and arsonists and looters of the Congress and the then Congress sponsored Government in the country”.

The Chief Minister expressed faith and confidence that punishment to the criminals, killers, looter and arsonists and their sponsors, protectors and patrons in the Congress would be the logical next step in securing full justice for thousands of innocents who suffered at the hands of bestial Congress rulers at the Centre at that time, and in subsequent Congress government both at the Centre and in Punjab.

“To complete the cycle of justice in the most tragic massacre since Independence”, Badal demanded setting up of omnibus commission of inquiry headed a Supreme Court judge to go unto entire gamut of conspiracy behind execution of this bloody massacre.He also demanded that cases that have been closed should be re-opened and thoroughly pursued in the courts.

Welcoming the move as “a step towards healing up the wounds”, Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal said that the Centre should intensify legal proceedings to secure justice for Sikh community by awarding exemplary punishments to the perpetrators of Sikh pogrom.“More than 3000 families are struggling legal battles for getting justice but Congress party is working day and night to save their leaders,” he said.