Kejriwal meets Jung, seeks SIT probe into 1984 riots
30 Jan 2014 6:01 AM IST
Over 3,000 Sikhs were estimated to have died in the pogrom unleashed allegedly by Congress leaders.
The decision was also lauded by dozens of the relatives of the riot victims and members of the Sikh community who were staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since last couple of weeks to press for their demand of SIT, which was a major poll promise of AAP.
In a related move, aimed at wooing the Sikh community, the chief minister also wrote a letter to president Pranab Mukherjee requesting him to commute to life imprisonment the death sentence awarded to Devinderpal Singh Bhullar of the Khalistan Liberation Force. Bhullar’s case is scheduled to come up for review before the Supreme Court on Thursday. Bhullar was convicted and awarded the death penalty for his role in a 1993 bomb blast in New Delhi which killed nine persons and injured 25 others.
Kejriwal’s meeting with the L-G comes just two days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said in a television interview, ‘The difference (between 1984 riots and 2002 Gujarat pogrom) is that in 1984, the government was not involved in the massacre of people. In Gujarat, it was.’ The BJP has hit back at Gandhi alleging his interview to be full of ‘lies’ and meant to mislead people.
The Delhi government would decide on the parameters and scope of SIT probe at the cabinet meeting scheduled for Friday. ‘L-G was very positive on setting up the SIT. We will take up the matter in next meeting of cabinet for the constitution of SIT and fix the terms of reference,’ said Kejriwal.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the BJP and Akali Dal leaders met the L-G demanding SIT probe in the riots. Leader of opposition Harsh Vardhan said that though the setting up of SIT was a welcome decision but it was equally important that the government fast-tracks the riot cases pending in the courts for several years.
‘In Gujarat riots, 10 accused have been awarded life imprisonment, 10 capital punishment and around 800 are behind bars. In 2002 riots only 1,100 people were killed. But in 1984 over 5,000 persons were killed, but not a single culprit was booked. Police even refused to register FIRs,’ said Manjeet Singh, president of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee. ‘If Kejriwal keeps his promise to provide justice, we could think of supporting his government if Congress withdraws support,’ added Singh who is also Delhi unit president of Akali Dal (Badal).
Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely said that the AAP government was diverting attention from failure of governance and raking up issues on which the Congress president and the prime minister have already apologised.
Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka who had represented several cases of riot victims said, ‘In Gujarat riots, the SC chose the officers for investigation, but in Delhi the investigation was always left to the mercy of Delhi police who refused to register FIRs in several cases.’
The decision was also lauded by dozens of the relatives of the riot victims and members of the Sikh community who were staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since last couple of weeks to press for their demand of SIT, which was a major poll promise of AAP.
In a related move, aimed at wooing the Sikh community, the chief minister also wrote a letter to president Pranab Mukherjee requesting him to commute to life imprisonment the death sentence awarded to Devinderpal Singh Bhullar of the Khalistan Liberation Force. Bhullar’s case is scheduled to come up for review before the Supreme Court on Thursday. Bhullar was convicted and awarded the death penalty for his role in a 1993 bomb blast in New Delhi which killed nine persons and injured 25 others.
Kejriwal’s meeting with the L-G comes just two days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said in a television interview, ‘The difference (between 1984 riots and 2002 Gujarat pogrom) is that in 1984, the government was not involved in the massacre of people. In Gujarat, it was.’ The BJP has hit back at Gandhi alleging his interview to be full of ‘lies’ and meant to mislead people.
The Delhi government would decide on the parameters and scope of SIT probe at the cabinet meeting scheduled for Friday. ‘L-G was very positive on setting up the SIT. We will take up the matter in next meeting of cabinet for the constitution of SIT and fix the terms of reference,’ said Kejriwal.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the BJP and Akali Dal leaders met the L-G demanding SIT probe in the riots. Leader of opposition Harsh Vardhan said that though the setting up of SIT was a welcome decision but it was equally important that the government fast-tracks the riot cases pending in the courts for several years.
‘In Gujarat riots, 10 accused have been awarded life imprisonment, 10 capital punishment and around 800 are behind bars. In 2002 riots only 1,100 people were killed. But in 1984 over 5,000 persons were killed, but not a single culprit was booked. Police even refused to register FIRs,’ said Manjeet Singh, president of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee. ‘If Kejriwal keeps his promise to provide justice, we could think of supporting his government if Congress withdraws support,’ added Singh who is also Delhi unit president of Akali Dal (Badal).
Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely said that the AAP government was diverting attention from failure of governance and raking up issues on which the Congress president and the prime minister have already apologised.
Supreme Court lawyer H S Phoolka who had represented several cases of riot victims said, ‘In Gujarat riots, the SC chose the officers for investigation, but in Delhi the investigation was always left to the mercy of Delhi police who refused to register FIRs in several cases.’
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