First capital punishment n life imprisonment to the culprits of 1984 riots in 34 long years

The badly victimised families of 1984 anti Sikh riots today got some relief and justice when a murdurer of two Sikhs and another culprit were given death penalty and life sentence by the Patiala House court after the protracted relentless struggle of last 34 years. Yashpal Singh got the death penalty while one Sehrawat got the life imprisonment. The court also imposed a penalty of Rs. 35 lakh to those granted life sentence.

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the Sikh Massacre, was a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India by anti-Sikh mobs in response to the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Official Indian government reports numbered about 2,800 killed across India, including 2,100 in Delhi.

The maximum displaced and badly tormented Sikh families of 1984 riots had since been protesting, filing cases
in the courts, confronting alleged threats from the criminals to withdraw cases and organising hundreds of thousands of mass rallies and demonstrations in and outside Delhi to seek due justice, but of no awail.

There had been incessant demands for the expulsion of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar from the party and bringing them to justice for their alleged involvement in provocating the mobs to perpetrate violence during the 1984 riots that erupted after late prime minister Indira Gandhi’s diabolical bludgeoning by her Sikh body guards.

The suvcessive Congress governments had been under tremendous pressure to punish the guilty of these roits and about 5 commissions and seven committees were constituted during the last three decades but nothing came out of them except dragging on the vexed matter further.

It was only after the arrival of NDA government that an SIT was constituted under the directives of prime minister Narendra Modi that the cases of 1984 riots were expedited and arrived at the decisive stage within four years with due delivery of justice to one Yashpal Singh who was punished with capital punishment n life imprisonment to another, including imposition of 35 lakh rupees penalty.

Welcoming the decision the victimised family now see a ray of hope in other such cases, filed in various other courts, all over the country.

Several victimsed families who’s near n dear ones’ were brutally killed during the riots of 1984 has demanded capital punishment for the Congress leaders who according to them were the main culprits behind the provovation leading to massive killings of innocent Sikhs.

It may be recalled that several Congress leaders viz. Sajjan Kumar, ex MP, Jagdish Tytler, late H. K. L Bhagat etc were named in the FIR but even after 3 n a half decade no culprit had been brought to justice except the two today. Former union minister HKL Bhagat had already died years ago.