New Delhi, India (March 20, 2013): It is learnt that on March 18, 2013 the CBI was scheduled to conclude it’s arguments in a November 1984 case against Indian politician Sajjan Kumar but the Delhi police was able to secure the adjournment of the issue citing security reasons. The trial of this case is being held at a court in Delhi.
Indian Politician who is facing charges related to massacre of Sikhs in November 1984
According to information some Amritdhari Sikh youth was accompanying the victims in the court and the Delhi police objected to their presence.
CBI’s advocate R. S. Cheema argued that Sajjan Kumar and the Delhi police were attempting to cause delay in the hearing of the case.
After briefly hearing the arguments form both sides, the court adjourned the hearing of the case till March 23, 2013.
Sikh Genocide victims protesting outside Delhi Court [March 18, 2013]
Meanwhile, the victims and survivors of the Sikh Genocide 1984 held a protest demonstration outside the court.
Bibi Jagdish Kaur (eye-witness against Sajjan Kumar), Bibi Nirmal Kaur, Bibi Nirprit Kaur, Simarjit Kaur, Journalist Jarnail Singh, Babu Singh Dukhiya, Karnail Singh Peermohammad, Gurdeep Singh Goldi, Manpreet Singh, Baljeet Singh Bablu, Iqbal Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Balwinder Singh Kala and Sansar Singh also took part in the demonstration. They demanded punishments for the culprits and justice for the victims.
It is notable that Sikhs were subjected to genocidal violence in the first week of November 1984 after the assassination of contemporary Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi on 31 October, 1984. The culprits, who perpetuated the genocide have enjoyed impunity over last 28 years. There were few instances where the culprits were charged and convictions were there in very rare cases, that too in the cases of low-profile culprits.
An independent inquiry by human rights bodies namely “People’s Union for Civil Liberties” and “People’s Union for Democratic Rights” had concluded that:
“A fact-finding team jointly organised by one People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) and people’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in the course of investigations from November 1 to November 10, has come to the conclusion that the attacks on members of the Sikh Community in Delhi and its suburbs during the period, far from being a spontaneous expression of “madness” and of popular “grief and anger” at Mrs. Gandhi’s assasination as made out to be by the authorities, were the outcome of a well organised plan marked by acts of both deliberate commissions and omissions by important politicians of the Congress (I) at the top and by authorities in the administration. Although there was the handiwork of a determined group which was inspired by different sentiments altogether”.
– Who Are Guilty? (1984), PUCL and PUDR
[source: http://www.pucl.org/ Topics/ Religion-communalism/ 2003/ who-are-guilty.htm]
Many culprits including Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler, HKL Bhagat and Kamal Nath were rewarded with high profile political positions by the Indian state.
The case against Sajjan Kumar was registered after a delay of two decades and the verdicts is yet to be pronounced in this case, whereas 28 years have already passed since the genocide took place. Many like Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath never faced trial for their participation in the genocide of Sikhs in 1984.