Hundreds of angry Sikhs protested at the residence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi against the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
The protesters, who were holding placards expressing anguish over the injustice meted out to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, raised slogans outside Sonia Gandhi’s residence on Thursday.
Initially, the protest was peaceful with the Sikhs squatting on the road and shouting slogans. However, things took a turn for the worse when another group of protestors tried to break through the police barricades and march towards the gates of 10 Janpath, forcing the police to intervene and resort to baton charge.
Tyres were burnt and two buses were damaged during the protest.
The protesters, who were also carrying effigies of Sonia Gandhi and Sajjan Kumar, burnt them and then went for a sit-in. As they refused to budge, police officers had to literally lift them and put them in buses.
As many as 200 people were detained at the Tughalak Road Police Station and around 30, including four women, were detained at the Parliament Street Police Station.
However, they were allowed to go after an hour or so. The women who were detained during the protest alleged that they were manhandled.
Three to four police companies including the Rapid Action Force, Delhi Police Commandoes and Central Reserve Police Force, were pressed into service to prevent any untoward incidents.
Jagdish Kaur, an eyewitness who lost five members of her family during the riots vented her ire at the injustice meted out to the community.
“We are living in a country where there is no law. It’s a land of animals and not humans. Sikhs are not being considered citizens of the country. We are not getting justice. The law is biased as it favours politicians and prosecutes the common man. “We had been waiting for the judgement for decades and when it finally came, it is justice not only delayed but denied too.
“I was in court when the judgement was pronounced. I couldn’t believe my ears and was so shocked that I just sat there,” said Jagdish Kaur.
“Nobody mourned for the death of thousands of people who died in the riots. The law should hang me if they can’t hang the main culprit. Why were the five other accused punished on my statement and not the sixth oneIJ Till I survive I will keep fighting for justice” she added.
“I threw the shoe in the court. I did not wish to hurt anyone’s feelings. I did not target any individual, but the judicial system. The CBI is not Central Bureau of Investigation but the Congress Bureau of Investigation” said Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, president of the All-India Sikh Students Federation.
“looking at history this nation is nothing without the Sikhs. No matter what field it is, the Sikhs have always been doing great. The treatment and the injustice we are getting now, is like a repetition of the 1984 riots. Our lives have been miserable ever since the riots took place. 12 members of my family were burnt alive. I will protest everyday till I get justice” said a weeping protestor.
“This is a one-sided judgement and we will all fight unless we get justice. We will take the case to the High Court,” said a visibly upset protestor.