CM Gupta hands over govt job letters to families of ‘84 anti-Sikh riot victims

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday distributed government appointment letters to 125 individuals from families affected by the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, calling the move “a mark of justice and respect” for those who endured decades of silence and suffering.

At an event held at the Delhi Secretariat, Gupta emphasised the symbolic weight of the appointments. “This is not just an appointment, it is justice walking into their lives after forty years of silence and struggle,” she said. “We cannot undo the past, but we can certainly improve their present.”

Gupta was joined by Cabinet Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee President Harmeet Singh Kalka, and senior government officials.

She added that 19 appointees have already joined their posts and described the gesture as more than a bureaucratic exercise. “This is a restoration of rightful entitlements,” she noted.

Referring to the long delay in justice, the Chief Minister said, “The process of delivering justice to the riot victims and punishing the perpetrators truly began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji assumed power at the Centre.”

She added, “The 1984 riots remain a dark chapter in the history of India, one that is impossible to forget. For those who lost loved ones, no compensation can ever be enough for their pain.”

Gupta also pledged full support to Kashmiri migrant families, saying, “Our government has resolved to offer full support, and disbursement of pending aid and grants has already begun.” She further announced a committee to identify families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic who have not received compensation.

Cabinet Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa called the occasion “deeply personal” and stated, “This government has finally delivered what should have been theirs decades ago.”

Criticising past administrations, he said, “What the previous governments couldn’t achieve in ten years, our government has accomplished in just 100 days.”

He added, “While earlier regimes tried to protect the accused of 1984, the Rekha Government has given appointment letters to the victims. That is the true face of justice.”