1984 survivors, Sikh groups question timing of INDIA bloc rally on Nov 1, seek apology

Sikh riot survivors and BJP leaders protest Congress's decision to hold the INDIA bloc rally on the 42nd anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh killings

NEW DELHI: Survivors of the 1984 anti-Sikh killings and Sikh organisations Sunday questioned Congress's decision to hold the INDIA bloc rally on Nov 1, the 42nd anniversary of the massacre.

With Punjab assembly elections due in 2027, the rally's timing also gave BJP political ammunition against Congress.The day saw a BJP-organised protest march in West Delhi, objections from victims' groups and renewed demands for justice.In West Delhi, Sikh community members and survivors joined a march from Hari Nagar towards Tilak Nagar, demanding an apology from Congress and Rahul Gandhi. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and senior advocate HS Phoolka, who has represented riot victims for decades, participated."Nov 1 is not only a black day for the Sikhs but the entire country. They (Congress) should also observe it as a black day and hang their heads in shame," Phoolka had said ahead of the rally.The 1984 Riot Victims Welfare Society also objected to the timing of the rally. Its representatives, who had met Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday, said Nov 1 was a day of mourning, not political mobilisation. They also raised pending demands for housing, employment and rehabilitation.

Society president Surjit Singh sought dignified rehabilitation, while women's wing president Bibi Gurdeep Kaur recalled losing eight family members in the violence.Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, who met survivors in Delhi, recalled losing four family members and alleged that the killings were systematically planned.Separately, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami described the massacre as "a stain on the forehead of the world's largest democracy". "Until those responsible are punished for their actions, the hearts of the victim families will not find peace," he said.