From News Dispaches NEW DELHI: A recent statement by the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, on what he said was the exemplary role of the government in containing the antiSikh violence and providing relief to the victims has been challenged by all major voluntary groups and activist organizations that aided the victims in 1984. They have called his statement as “preposterous and insulting to the citizens of this country.”

Rajiv Gandhi had said in a recent public speech that since H.K_L. Bhagat Minister for Information and Broadcasting was with him throughout the funeral arran-for Indira Gandhi, he could never have instigated the riot as accused by many victims as well as the evidence published in the famous book by civil rights volunteers, Who Are The Guilty ?”

Bhagat’s Role

He had also said that the Government had acted with record speed in controlling the riot and rehabilitation of the affected. “Strict legal action has been taken against the people accused of rioting,” Rajiv Gandhi had added.

But the Nagrik Ekta Manch, the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Citizen’s Justice Committee, the Sikh Forum, the Citizen’s for Democracy and the Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council have refuted Gandhi’s claims.

Two weeks after the violence subsided, Ms Jaya Jaitely of the Nagrik Ekta Manch had visited H.K.L. Bhagat’s house to seek help for the widows. There I saw a lawyer who had been representing all the rioters and getting them freed, she said.

The victims are the best evidence. They proved that the same slogans the same methods for killing and the same weapons were used all over the city in what was being called a spontaneous outburst of anger, Ms Jaitely said.

No Action

Despite written affidavits by the victims naming Senior Congress leaders like Dharam Das Shastri, Bhagat and Sajjan Kumar no action has been taken against them so far. Even the government appointed Jain Banerjee Committee recommended that a case be registered against Sajjan Kumar. But he has not yet been tried, 3,870 Murders of the 3,870 murders listed by the Citizen’s Justice Committee in its submission to the Ranganathan Misra Commission, there has been only one conviction. Charges filed against the remaining cases are for minor offenses such as curfew violation.

Rehabilitation has been ad hoc. Many widows and orphans are still displaced. Gen J.S. Aurora of the Sikh Forum said that the widows at Tilak Vihar were being harassed by the authorities to pay Rs 40,000 for their flats. Those who owned houses in the old colonies where they had been attacked were being asked to sell their houses and pay the Government for the flats.

Govt Encouraging Gangsters

Only 504 widows have been given jobs against 12,500 who were initially promised Government job after the riot.

Gandhi’s Government is encouraging gangsters in other parts of the country to terrorize innocent people because they have failed to prosecute the guilty of 1984, according to a joint statement issued by the groups.

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 26, 1989