1984 riots: Congress used voter lists to mark Sikhs, says Puri

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri termed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots a 'darkest chapter' and 'cold-blooded killing'. He accused the then-Congress govt of using voter lists to identify and mark the houses of Sikhs for the ensuing violence.

Calling the 1984 anti-Sikh riots "cold-blooded killing of innocent" people, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday accused the then-Congress government of using the voters' list to mark the houses of the Sikh community.

The assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31 by her two Sikh security guards led to violent attacks on Sikhs and their properties in Delhi and other parts of the country. According to the Justice Nanavati Commission, which probed the riots, about 2146 people were killed in Delhi, while 586 people were said to have been killed in other parts of the country.

'Darkest Chapter in India's History'

Speaking to ANI, Puri described the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as the "darkest chapter" in independent India's history. He said, "This day, going back to 1984, is one of the darkest. It was not a riot; it was a cold-blooded killing of innocent, vulnerable people sitting in their homes. Those who were responsible for democracy, for preparing the voters list, for law and order, used the voters list to go to the homes of my community, the Sikh community, put charcoal signs outside and then the homes were burnt and people were pulled out."

'Congress Tried to Rewrite History'

He also said that the Congress attempted to 'rewrite' the history of the freedom struggle. The Union Minister said, "It was one of the darkest chapters in our post-1947 history. Who was in power then? A political party that claimed it had made a great contribution to the country. Maybe they did, but if you look at the contribution also, this is a political party which has tried to write the history of the independence struggle, of 1947 and post-1947 history in terms of their own family."

"They denied Sardar Patel his place in history. They denied Ambedkar his place in history. They don't give direct credit to where it belongs, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi," he further alleged.

Sajjan Kumar Case Update

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar was convicted and sentenced to life in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Earlier on Wednesday, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi directed the prosecution to file written submissions in another 1984 Sikh riots case against Sajjan Kumar. He is facing trial in a case linked to FIRs registered at Janakpuri and Vikas Puri Police Stations. The Janakpuri case pertains to the killing of two Sikhs: Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh, on November 1, 1984. The second case was registered in the Vikaspuri police station related to the burning of Gurcharan Singh on November 2, 1984.

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