Amaritsar, Punjab (August 13, 2014): Senior advocate and Aam Aadmi Party leader Harwinder Singh Phoolka has reminded Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) of its promise of formation of SIT for re opening and re investigating 237cases of 1984 anti Sikh violence which were closed untraced.
“The SAD(B) had fully supported this demand and on May 8th 2013 when SAD (B) president Sukhbir Singh had announced the same while breaking the fast of Nirpreet Kaur , he had stated that SAD (B) would pursue the demand of formation of SIT.
In February 2014 the Kejriwal government in Delhi announced the formation of SIT.
Sukhbir Badal (L) | HS Phoolka (R)
After the resignation of Kejriwal ,this SIT was first stalled by the UPA government and now it is stalled by the NDA government” Phoolka reportedly while talking to Times of India (TOI).
He said NDA government was in power since May to which the SAD(B) was an alliance partner but not even a single step had been taken in securing justice for the victims and punishing the guilty.
“The incident is 30 years old. Some of the victims are no longer alive and others victims are getting old. Immediate steps are required to be taken to record the statement of these witnesses” he said .
He also wrote a letter to Sukhbir asking him to fulfil his promise made to the Sikhs and make the SIT operational immediately, without any further delay.
He said the recent revelations of Daman Singh daughter of former Congress party’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had once again revived the wounds of Sikhs.
“She had revealed that Manmohan Singh’s house was also attacked by mob in November 1984 in Ashok Vihar area of Delhi. It was Manmohan Singh’s son in law, who happens to be a Hindu, who saved the house from burning when the house was almost set on fire by the mob ” he said adding that she had also admitted that the rioters who attacked the house were known to them.
Phooka said in Ashok Vihar area where Manmohan Singh’s house was located 7 Sikhs were killed, 4 Gurdwara were burnt, 5 houses were burnt, 7 shops were burnt and 42 vehicles were burnt. “It’s unfortunate that no one has been punished for all these offences and the cases were closed as untraced” he said.