lending voice to the chorus against senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar soon after the Delhi court verdict in the 1984 riots case, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership on Wednesday took along with it senior national leaders from non-Congress parties to meet the President and the Prime Minister for making itself heard loud and clear.
Accompanied by former Deputy Prime Minister and senior BJP leader lK Advani and other leaders, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal sought the Central leadership’s intervention for punishing those who perpetrated incidents of violence against innocent Sikhs in 1984 genocide.
The all India non-Congress party delegation primarily demanded setting up of Special Investigative Team under the direct command of the Supreme Court to conduct a day-to-day hearing against those responsible for killing thousands of men, women and children in the 1984 massacre.
Calling upon the President Pranab Mukherjee, the delegation of national and regional political parties from all across the country sought his personal intervention to direct the Union Government for filing fresh appeal against Sajjan Kumar and expediting investigation against Jagdish Tytler.
The delegation also included senior BJP leader and leader of Opposition in lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, TDP leader Namo Nageshwar Rao, Shiv Sena leader Anant Gangaram Geete, TMC leader KD Singh and INlD leader Chaudhary Ranveer.
SAD’s meeting with the President came a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) maintained that it would challenge Sajjan Kumar’s acquittal in 1984 Sikh riot case as it had unearthed some ‘strong grounds’.
In its meeting with the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh earlier, the SAD pressed a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the riots cases in the national capital.
Badal, together with Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal, senior party leaders, Members of Parliament and legislators of SAD-BJP from Punjab had presented a memorandum demanding expeditious and exemplary punishment to all the guilty responsible for 1984 massacre, including the key culprits Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and others.
Akali leaders also met the Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in this regard at his office. Shinde assured the Chief Minister and his deputy that action against the accused of 1984 massacre would be expedited. Shinde also promised expeditious follow-up in the case that has been pending against Sajjan Kumar since 1987.
DEMAND FORMATION OF SIT UNDER SC’S SUPERVISION
The prime demand of the delegation was to set up a special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of the Supreme Court to re-examine the 1984 Sikh riots case.
“We want that a SIT be formed and probe cases under the Supreme Court’s supervision. There are so many cases on which no action has been taken like Nangloi case which has been pending for 25 years,” Badal told the media after meeting the Prime Minister.
The memorandum stated that a SIT, under an officer not less than the rank of Inspector General (IG), from outside the Delhi Police, should be constituted to investigate the cases “threadbare” pertaining to 1984 Sikh genocide.
“This SIT should not only investigate pending cases but also look into the cases where either FIRs were not registered or if registered, were closed by the Police itself. Besides, the cases which were not prosecuted properly resulting in acquittal of the guilty should also be investigated,” demanded the delegation.
It also added that SIT should also investigate the role of the police officers and these investigations should be monitored by the Supreme Court.
APPEAl TO APPOINT ‘INDEPENDENT’ COUNSElS
Badal maintained that his party had demanded that the Union government should not appoint its counsels for arguing the cases related to anti-Sikh riots. “They have said that the CBI would appeal in the High Court against the recent verdict on Sajjan Kumar’s acquittal on the issue. We demand that the Union government counsels should not be appointed for it and they should be outsiders so that justice can be done,” he said.
FIlE FRESH APPEAl AGAINST SAJJAN
The high-powered delegation requested the President Mukherjee that the state must immediately file an appeal against the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar.
Badal added that the Government should take all necessary steps to ensure day-to-day hearing and disposal of the appeal within three months, besides engaging an independent lawyer to argue the appeal.
EXPEDITE PROBE AGAINST TYTlER
Demanding that action should also be taken in cases against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, the delegation urged that investigation against him should be conducted “expeditiously”.
It demanded that challan should be presented as the court has already rejected cancellation report against Jagdish Tytler. Badal added that though the loss of families, who had lost their dear ones in the genocide, could never be compensated but expediting these actions would go a long way to instill a feeling of justice being done to them besides reposing the faith of Sikh Community in the judiciary.
BADAl BlAMES THE CENTRE
“It is rather appalling that while some of the accused have been convicted, the mastermind Sajjan Kumar has been acquitted despite cogent and conclusive evidence against him including the unflinching testimony of eyewitnesses,” Badal told the President.
Badal added that “blatant misuse” of the system and the government machinery to shield the culprits and failure to punish them has eroded the faith of victims and the Sikh Community across the globe besides all law-abiding citizens of the country. “The credibility of the CBI which investigated the case is already at its lowest ebb,” he added.
Urging the immediate intervention of the President to provide justice to the victims of the 1984 genocide and assuage the feelings of the Sikh community thereby instilling a sense of confidence in them, the delegation requested him to direct the Centre that an “independent and impartial investigation” be conducted in the case.
The delegation further said that the initial delay on the part of police in registering the cases has directly helped the accused therefore it was necessary that an “extra-ordinary procedure be followed even at this late stage so that justice was not denied in perpetuity”.
SUKHBIR RESOlVES TO ENSURE JUSTICE
SAD chief Sukhbir Badal, talking to the media persons outside Rashtarpati Bhawan, resolved firmly to ensure justice to the victims of 1984 Sikh massacre. He unequivocally said: “The party will continue its crusade against the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for their sinister designs to give umbrage to the guilty under its nose thereby compelling the Congress Government to ensure exemplary punishment to all its leaders responsible for this inhuman and heinous act against mankind.”