Kamal Ghorui
AMRITSAR: Despite being at odds on most issues, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-backed Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) responded in the same voice to the acquittal of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar on Thursday in a case concerning alleged instigation of violence during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Akal Takht, too, has questioned the verdict.Sajjan Kumar was acquitted by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court for lack of sufficient evidence in a case related to the anti-Sikh riots in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri.Punjab BJP spokesperson Sarchand Singh and SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami called the verdict a grave injustice to the victims’ families who had waited 41 years for justice.Sarchand Singh demanded that the central govt, central investigative agencies and Delhi govt immediately file Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) in higher courts against all those acquitted in cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and “pursue these cases with full seriousness”.Harjinder Singh Dhami said the acquittal has caused deep mental anguish to not only the victims’ families but also the entire Sikh community.Officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, asked govt and courts to clarify who was responsible for the massacre of Sikhs in Delhi. “Although Sajjan Kumar is still serving sentences in two Sikh massacre cases and will remain in jail, his acquittal in one case raises serious questions about the sincerity and seriousness of govts investigating agencies and is tantamount to rubbing salt into the wounds of the Sikh community,” said Giani Gargaj.The official death toll in the Nov 1984 Sikh massacre is 2,733 but the real number of killings was far higher, he said, asking that govt fix accountability in every single case in Delhi and other states to assuage Sikh sentiments.
