1984 anti-Sikh riots: Protesters demand SC intervention

Protesting acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, around 150 riot victims today staged a march from Rajghat to Supreme Court but was prevented mid-way.

The march was stopped near ShaheedPark and four members were allowed to go to Supreme Court to submit their petition seeking action against officials and political leaders whom they claimed were involved in the riots.

"It has been long 29 years but we didn't get justice. The government should answer how and where the last rites of 5,000 riot victims were done. Whether postmortem was conducted or not?" All India Sikh Conference president Gurcharan Singh Babbar said.

"A B Marwa, Additional Registrar to chief justice of India have accepted our petition. We appeal to court to accept it as a writ petition and take action against Sajjan Kumar and others," he said.

Kumar was acquitted of all charges by a Delhi court on April 30 in one of the three 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, a verdict that evoked vociferous protests from victims' families, one of whom hurled a shoe at the judge.

District and Sessions Judge J R Aryan let off Kumar in the 29-year-old case in which he was accused of murder and of instigating a riotous mob that killed five Sikhs in Delhi's cantonment area.

Five others -- Balwan Khokkar, an ex-councillor, Mahender Yadav, an ex-MLA, Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal -- were convicted for their involvement in the riots that broke out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.