Massive rally in Delhi condemns “state terrorism” of 1984

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By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 01 Nov 2014: Hundreds of people Saturday took a peace march in the national capital demanding the perpetrators of the anti-Sikh riots be brought to book. At least 3,000 Sikhs were butchered on the streets here 30 years ago post-assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, in which the role of state and its agencies was dubious.

“The people of India belonging to all faiths, all regions of our ancient country, have been fighting ceaselessly for 30 years to ensure that the truth behind the carnage of 1984 be placed by the government of India before the people of our country and those guilty of organizing it be punished,” S. Raghavan of Lokraj Sanghatan, which organized the rally, said.

Hundreds of people marched from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar demanding that the guilty of 1984 must be punished and asked the people to unite to end “state terrorism”.

Ten commissions of enquiry have submitted their reports. “Till today, no government has accepted that it was the Indian state that organized the genocide. No one has been punished for the brutal murder in broad daylight of over 10,000 innocent people, the rape of women and girls, and the widespread destruction of property,” Raghavan said.

Mohammad Salim Engineer, Secretary, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind speaking at the program on 01 Nov 2014.

Speaker after speaker reiterated that the people cannot “forgive and forget” and questioned why the guilty must be forgiven for such a horrendous crime against the people and how can we accept that it is fine for the state, which is supposed to protect all citizens, to kill them instead. They rejected the notion and said every individual should be brought to book, and termed the 1984 incident as a state sponsored pogrom like 2002 Gujarat genocide.

“The 1984 anti-Sikh riot displayed a mentality – that action invites reaction and when a tree falls earth shakes. Some people had celebrated the demolition of Babra Masjid also and decades ago the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. All these incidents were acts of terrorism,” Mohammad Salim Engineer of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said.

More than 20 organizations participated in the rally including Lok Raj Sangathan, Sikh Forum, Communist Ghadar Party of India, Social Democratic Party of India, All India Students’ Association, Purogami Mahila Sangathan, Better Sikh Schools, Hind Naujawan Ekta Sabha, Sikhi Sidak, Citizens for Democracy, Sikh Chetna Lehar, Jamaat E islami Hindi, United Muslims Front, Popular Front of India, Welfare Party of India, Mazdoor Ekta Committee and Qoumi Party of India.

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