‘Pain completely disregarded’: Sajjan Kumar acquitted in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case; victims’ families vow to keep fighting | India News
PTI photo
NEW DELHI: Outside a Delhi court on Thursday, families affected by the 1984 anti-Sikh riots stood waiting, their faces carrying years of loss and anger. The court had just acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case linked to alleged incitement of violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas, a decision that left them feeling once again unheard.The families said their search for justice had been long and painful. Many of them have spent decades moving from one courtroom to another, hoping for accountability. Kumar, however, continues to remain in prison as he is serving a life sentence in other riot-related murder cases.
Among those present was Nirmal Kaur, who spoke about the day her life changed forever. “My father was burnt alive before my eyes, and I have spent 42 years moving from one court to another, clinging to the belief that justice would one day arrive,” she told PTI.She said everything she valued was taken from her that day. “I myself was destroyed, and every good thing in my life was taken away,” she said, adding that justice still felt distant after all these years.Another woman standing nearby spoke with anger and despair. She said the man she believed was responsible must be punished and hanged. She added that if this did not happen, they would continue to sit outside the court, even if it meant dying there, because they had nothing left to lose.Wazir Singh, a relative of another riot victim, said Kumar had faced around 18 murder cases but had been acquitted in many.“He was responsible for the killing of thousands of Sikhs, and families like mine have spent their entire lives moving in and out of courtrooms,” Singh said.He said the families were prepared to approach the high court and even the Supreme Court, adding that they were no longer afraid to continue the legal fight.For Bagi Kaur, the memories of the riots are still painful and clear. “Ten members of my family were killed. I vividly remember that during the riots, the roads were littered with corpses. One had to jump over dead bodies to cross the road,” she said.She said she watched her family’s future collapse and added that she had not missed a single court hearing in all these years, regardless of the circumstances.“Our pain has now been completely disregarded. Satwant Singh was hanged; then why is the man responsible for the deaths of about a thousand people still alive?” Kaur asked.She said that everyone in court knew whose widow she was, yet no one appeared willing to listen to her.Even after the verdict was delivered, the families refused to leave the court premises. Their protests continued, their voices carrying through the area long after the hearing ended. They said their fight for justice was not over and vowed to keep returning to the courts in search of answers.
