Amarinder Singh denies Congress role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots but names five Congressmen

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said the Congress was not connected with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots but admitted that few party leaders were involved in the genocide. Amarinder said he had visited camps and some Gurdwaras in Delhi after the riots happened. 

“The incident (1984 Sikh riot) took place when Indiraji was killed, at that time Rajiv Gandhi was at an airport in Bengal. There was no Congress involvement other than some people. I have named few people, Sajjan Kumar, Dharamdas Shastri, Arjun Das and two more people,” Amarinder was quoted by ANI as saying.

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I have been naming these people for the past almost 34 years, Amarinder said, while clarifying that he had named the people who were mentioned to him, and not out of any personal knowledge.

On Monday, the Punjab Assembly session was marked by chaos over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Minutes before the Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission’s report on incidents of sacrilege in 2015 in the state was tabled in the Assembly, opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) raised the 1984 anti-Sikh riots issue during the Zero Hour.

On Friday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi in London, said that Congress, as a party, was never involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Amarinder, defending Rahul, hit out at SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia that he was just about eight-years-old at the time of riots.

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Amarinder accused the Akalis of taking up the riots issue when it suited them and asked, “What do you know about the issue?”, while warning the Akalis against playing with the sentiments of the Sikhs on the sensitive matter.

Amarinder also slammed SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal saying, he was in “California in a University” when the riots broke out.

Meanwhile, Sukhbir Singh Badal said that Amarinder should write to the Supreme Court that he is the main witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and added Amarinder did not take Jagdish Tytler he had a soft corner for Tytler.

He (Amarinder Singh) took five names, but he has a soft corner for Tytler (Jagdish Tytler). So he didn't take his name: Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD President on Punjab CM taking names of 5 people including Sajjan Kumar, Dharamdas Shastri, Arjun Das involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots pic.twitter.com/SWpQP6vToD

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2018

(With inputs from agencies)