1984 riot victims demand govt job for kin of deceased

New Delhi, Aug 4: A delegation of 1984 riot victims today met Union Minister Jitendra Singh and sought government jobs for the family members of those who fell prey to the violence and also raised other rehabilitation-related issues.

The delegation submitted a memorandum to the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in favour of their demand and sought his intervention for early redress of their grievances which, they said, have remained unattended even after 31 years.

"The deputation also demanded one government job for each of the families of the deceased. They also alleged that in Kanpur riots, 27 FIRs had been lodged and guilt proven but, so far, no prosecution has taken place," said a release issued by the minister's office.

The memorandum also claimed that a Delhi High Court order awarding Rs 1.25 lakh for the rehabilitation of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims has not been honoured.

"The entire Sikh community is feeling aggrieved by the delay in redress of their grievances," it said.

Singh gave a patient hearing to the delegation members and assured them that he will bring up the issue before the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the other departments concerned.

The delegation, led by the President of the All-India Riot Victim Committee, S Kuldeep Singh Bhogal, listed various demands and pending issues in the aftermath of the 1984 riots which, it said, had led to the killing of 3,000 members of the Sikh community in Delhi alone.

Next to Delhi, the maximum number of killings took place in Kanpur, where 300 members of the community lost their lives, the delegation claimed.

The memorandum submitted by the delegation noted that an amount of Rs 5 lakh per family of the deceased, as promised by the government, was yet to be distributed to many families, the release said.

PTI