Seeking a comprehensive relook into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case to ensure punishment to all the culprits, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding immediate payment of the Rs. 5 lakh compensation announced for the victims.
Giving details of the letter, Mr. Badal’s media adviser Jangveer Singh said the letter written on Saturday had pointed out that a lot of ground needed to be covered to ensure comprehensive justice to the 1984 victims. It said while the compensation was seen as the first concrete and meaningful step, 30 years after the riots took place, the delay in its payment has given the impression that the Centre was yet to take a decision on awarding Rs. 5 lakh each as compensation to the families of the riot victims as announced on October 30. “I would like to draw your attention to the confusion created among the Sikh community on this issue,” Mr Badal wrote, and added: “you would recall that immense goodwill had been generated for the NDA government after the announcement that the Centre would award compensation to the massacre victims.”
