Protest over Congress leader’s acquittal in anti-Sikh riots

At least 3,000 Sikhs were killed in the arson that went on in the national capital and other parts of the country.

Congress Party leader Sajjan Kumar

New Delhi:  Protests have broken out in New Delhi and neighboring provinces after a senior Congress Party leader was acquitted in one of the three cases during the deadly anti-Sikh riots in 1984.

The special CBI court on Tuesday acquitted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and held 5 other accused in the case guilty of murder and rioting in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment 29 years ago. A former legislator Mahender Yadav and two others were held guilty of rioting.

In another case against Kumar for allegedly inciting violence in Sultanpuri area in the national capital, the verdict is expected on May 15. In the third case, he is accused of inciting violence in Nangloi area of New Delhi.

Victims of the riots held a demonstration outside the Tilak Nagar police station near the cantonment area.

Another group of protestors stormed into the Subhash Nagar Metro Station and protested on the tracks, forcing the authorities to close the station.

Sikh protestors blocked the Jammu-Pathankot Highway.

In neighboring Haryana state, Akali Dal activists staged demonstration against the acquittal order. The Sikh families in the state would switch off lights in their houses today from 8 pm to 9 pm in protest against the verdict.

“There was a reign of terror for three days during the riots. People were burnt alive,” said Jagdish Kaur, who lost five members of her family in the riots, including her son and husband.

Karnail Singh Peer, a leader of the All India Sikh Students Federation, was held by police for reportedly throwing a shoe at Judge JR Aryan after he delivered the verdict.

Kumar was charged with inciting violence and murder of five Sikhs in the Raj Nagar as a follow up of the killing of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.

At least 3,000 Sikhs were killed in the arson that went on in the national capital and other parts of the country.

Gandhi’s killing took place as she had ordered troops to storm the Golden Temple, a Sikh shrine, at Amritsar in Punjab, northern India, to flush out and kill Sikh separatists demanding carving out of a separate Sikh nation Khalistan.

Prakash Singh Badal, chief minister of the Akali Dal-led Punjab state, termed the acquittal of Kumar as unfortunate. “We will challenge it in a higher court," he added.

On April 10, a court in the national capital ordered the re-opening of a case against another prominent Congress Party leader Jagdish Tytler over his role in anti-Sikh riots.

A previous investigation by CBI had cleared Tytler.