Riots relief good but justice would be better: Makkar
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar has welcomed the Centre’s deciding to given an additional Rs 5-lakh each as compensation to the families of the Sikhs killed in 1984 riots but has asked for justice.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar has welcomed the Centre’s deciding to given an additional `5-lakh each as compensation to the families of the Sikhs killed in 1984 riots but has asked for justice.
A statement issued here on his behalf on Friday reads: “The relief is welcome but what is required actually is justice for the families who lost near and dear ones in the mayhem. Monetary compensation can bring temporary relief, not wipe out the pain from the hearts and the minds of the people who saw their relatives and friends being burnt alive. The government should allow those who planned and executed the riots to go scot free.”
For 30 years, justice had eluded Sikhs, said Makkar, adding that now that a non-Congress government was at the Centre, it was the best opportunity to get hold of the Congress leaders who instigated the mobs to attack Sikh homes. Makkar could not react to the compensation proposal on Thursday, since he is in the US.
