New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- "If the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) apologises to Sonia Gandhi, will she vote for them? As one widow I ask another,'' asks Harpreet Kaur, a 1984 riot widow. She is angered by the Congress only paying "lip-service'' to the riot victims and not taking action against leaders guilty for inciting mob violence.
On Monday, exactly 14 years later, at the Gurdwara in Tilak Vihar, Harpreet and her relatives held a ceremony (akhand path) to remember those who were killed in the riots.
It was the afternoon of November 2, when Ravel Kaur's husband was killed by a mob in the carnage that followed Indira Gandhi's assassination. And 14 years later she still burns when she sees photographs of Congress leaders in newspapers and on television.
"My mother suffered a heart attack two years ago. The agony is so severe. The perpetrators of the crime are still free and moving around with police security, 10 black-cat commandoes and look at us. No security then and nothing even now,'' says Rajbir Singh, Ravel's son and the proprietor of Raju Glass Works.
"Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31 and for the next three days on November 1, 2 and 3 anyone wearing a turban was cut to pieces. Where is justice for us? My son was a year old at that time. He has never seen his father and not known what father's love is. Unfortunately we are only remembered during the elections,'' laments Joginder Kaur, another widow now employed with the Indian Air Force.
The riot victims feel let down. "The Congress spilt blood. Now instead of booking the guilty it is adding insult to injury by appointing the same leaders as members of the election committee and convenor of the campaign committee,'' says Sucha Singh, a stall owner in Tilak Vihar.
"Sonia Gandhi apologised to us. But did she mean it? Did she even once try to find out whether we had got compensation or whether we had got jobs or even had money to send our children to school? Anyway we are a strong and hard-working community. We starve but manage to feed our children. All we ask for is punishment for the guilty. Is that too much to ask for?'' asks Sucha.
Says Harpreet, "Doesn't Sonia want to see those responsible for her husband's death punished? Will she make them office-bearers in her party or does she feel that the lives of our husbands are not important enough?''
Riot victims are equally hurt by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "They assured us saying we would get compensation and that we would be given employment. But even they have failed to do anything for us. This time they better do something for us or we shall vote for an independent,'' warns Amar Pal Singh, a carpenter, and several others echo his feelings.
Witness Stand
They broke my right hand and I still cannot use it as it has not healed properly. What bothers us is that today the Congress leaders, who we know led the mob against Sikhs during the riots, are in charge of distributing tickets for the forthcoming elections. This shows that Congress isbankrupt and has no other leaders. --
Sardar Daleep Singh, grocery store owner, Tilak Vihar.
The Congress is a confused party. One day you have its president, Sonia Gandhi, apologising to us for the 1984 katl-e-aam (genocide) and another day it appoints H K L Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar and other anti-Sikh riot-tainted leaders in powerful party positions. This is rubbing salt on our wounds. --
Magru Singh, roadside vendor and a riot victim.
The Congress party had assured us that the guilty will be brought to book. And made tall claims about riot-tainted leaders not getting a ticket. Then why are these guilty leaders being allotted powerful posts, instead of being ostracised? --
Ravel Kaur, a riot widow living in Tilak Vihar.
If the Congress party lacks leaders, which apparently it does, then it should pick up those young men and women whose parents were killed in the riots and give them a ticket. Merely apologising before elections and paying lip service won't do. --
Joginder Kaur, a riot victim living in Tilak Vihar.
Sonia Gandhi says one thing, while Shiela Dikshit says another. But these are mere false promises. Forget bringing the guilty to book, the Congress leaders are not even bothered to check whether we are getting compensation. The Sikhs will never vote for the Congress as long as the riot-tainted leaders remain in power. --
Harjinder Kaur, a riot victim.
