Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Sunday brought to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the prevailing resentment amongst the Sikh community over non-implementation of compensation award for 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.
Sukhbir, who wrote a letter to Modi on Saturday, stating that there was “a sense of palpable disappointment and even resentment amongst the Sikh community as to why the compensation award for the victims of the Congress-orchestrated 1984 anti-Sikh riots was not implemented immediately after its announcement”.
Prime Minister Modi had, on October 30, announced to grant Rsfive lakh financial assistance to the kin of each of 3,325 victims of 1984 riots — couple of days before its 30th anniversary.
“Sukhbir had in a letter written to the Prime Minister on Saturday pointed out that a lot of ground had to be covered to ensure comprehensive justice to 1984 victims,” said Deputy Chief Minister’s media advisor Jangveer Singh.
The letter stated that the compensation award was treated as the first concrete and meaningful step to apply balm to the hurt Sikh psyche, 30 years after the well planned riots took place. It said, “Recent developments had, however, given impression that the Centre was yet to take a decision on awarding Rsfive lakh each as compensation to the families of the riot victims and that the move was at a proposal stage only”.
“I would like to draw your attention to the confusion created amongst the Sikh community on this issue,” Sukhbir said in the letter, adding, “you would recall that immense goodwill had been generated for the NDA Government after the announcement that the Centre would award compensation to the massacre victims”.
The letter highlighted the need for comprehensive justice on this issue and stressed that “exemplary punishment should be awarded to the goons responsible for the massacre, including Congress leaders, an omnibus inquiry commission led by a Supreme Court judge should be initiated to go into the conspiracy behind the wanton killings and old cases should be reopened”.
Besides, it said, in cases where FIRs were not registered due to official apathy, the same should be registered forthright and pursued vigorously. Sukhbir said that while these series of steps would help to provide justice to the ‘84 victims, the Centre must implement its award announcement immediately to avoid sending a wrong signal to the Sikh community. The letter pointed out that this issue was also part of the common minimum programme of the Akali-BJP alliance during the recent lok Sabha and earlier assembly elections in Punjab.
Sukhbir also affirmed that he was confident that NDA government ably led by Narendra Modi would take a series of singular steps including swift award of compensation to the aggrieved families to fulfil commitment of comprehensive justice made by the SAD-BJP alliance to the victims of the carnage as well as to the people of Punjab.