In a culmination of their series of protest programmes, activists of the Patiala district unit of the Dakaunda faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), on Tuesday, organised a rally, marched in procession, burnt effigies and submitted a charter of demands against the recent order by a Delhi court to acquit Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the November 1984 anti-Sikh riots’ case.
The speakers at the rally, who included the faction’s Punjab general secretary, Jagmohan Singh, treasurer Ram Singh and Patiala district president Darshan Pal, took strong exception to the partisan role played by the Union government, in preventing justice to the victim families, who have been waiting for it for 29 years.
‘Planned conspiracy’
According to Prof. Darshan Pal, the speakers had highlighted that the civil liberties’ groups, including PUCL and PUDR, had published their reports about the massacre of thousands of innocent Sikhs that was carried through a planned conspiracy. These organisations had provided the list of those responsible for the carnage, in which the name of Mr. Sajjan Kumar along with other leaders had figured.
The speakers said that after prolonged legal wrangles, while Mr. Sajjan Kumar was acquitted, the Union government and the justice delivery system had only rubbed salt into the wounds of the relatives of those who had been butchered in the days in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.
After the rally, amid heavy police deployment, the BKU activists organised a march to the Patiala administration’s headquarters, where they burnt effigies of the Union government and Mr. Sajjan Kumar. Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Patiala G.S. Chahal accepted a memorandum from the protesters who demanded immediate action against those responsible for the massacre as well as the arrest of Mr. Sajjan Kumar.
Prof. Darshan Pal said that the BKU had organised similar protests at six sub-division levels before the Monday programme at Patiala.
