Statewide protests were witnessed in Punjab on Sunday against the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Demanding stringent punishment for Kumar, the protesters blocked railway tracks in different parts of the state.
Rail traffic was the worst hit as the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots along with the members of Sikh Students Federation staged protests squatting on the railway tracks. The protestors blocked the Amritsar–New Delhi railway track at 5.30 am on Sunday.
Howrah-Amritsar mail, Andaman Express, a goods train, among others was laos stopped at different points by the protestors with swords in their hands. Hundreds of protestors including women and children, who demanded execution of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, sat on dharna for four hours on railway tracks.
Punjab Danga Peerat Welfare Society and Sikh Students Federation (Mehta) jointly staged the protest and raised slogans against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi.
Demanding justice from the President, Danga Peerat Welfare Society chief Surjit Singh said that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court should make a special investigation team to conduct fair investigation. He added that hearing of cases regarding anti-sikh riots cases should be conducted in the fast track courts.
The protesters, jointly led by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member Gurinder Pal Singh Gora and Sikh Student Federation (Mehta) district president Surinder Pal Sandhu, blocked Ravi Express at Batala railway station for an hour.
In ludhiana, members of Sikh Danga Peerat Society and All India Sikh Student Federation sat on dharna on railway lines, paralyzing rail traffic on main line towards Delhi and Amritsar for around six hours.
They warned that if the government failed to take appropriate steps to ensure punishment for the culprits, the agitation would be further stepped up in coming days. The main ludhiana-Delhi rail route remained suspended for four hours.
Meanwhile, the passengers of various trains were a harried lot and demanded from the protestors to open the track. But, the protestors continued their agitation while performing hymns on railway tracks.
ludhiana Station superintendent Ravinder Sharma told that the other trains were halted by them at different railway stations. He told that Shatabadi express was stationed at Phagwara railway station while Garibrath express was standing at Phillaur railway station when protestors stopped trains in ludhiana.
Besides, the trains got late up to four hours. Amritsar-Chandigarh Express was three and half hours late, Shan-e-Punjab from Delhi to Amritsar was running late by one hour and Shatabadi Express from Amritsar to New Delhi reached three hours late at ludhiana.
Members of the Sikh community have been holding protest demonstrations in Delhi, Jammu and Punjab against Kumar’s acquittal. They maintained that they will not stop their street protests till the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which prosecuted the case, appeal against the verdict in a higher court.
The demonstrators are furious over Kumar’s acquittal from all charges in one of three 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases against him.