Badal assures anti-Sikh riots’ victims of help

CHANDIGARH - Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has assured the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the state of all government assistance, as also allotment of vending booths and low income group (LIG) and medium income group (MIG) dwellings to the eligible beneficiaries, an official said Thursday.

Booths, as well as LIG and MIG dwelling units, will be allotted to genuine claimants at Mohali, Patiala and Ludhiana at very reasonable rates in accordance with the policy guidelines of the state government, an official spokesperson said.

Badal gave the assurance to a delegation of anti-Sikh riots victims that met him yesterday (Wednesday) evening. He also directed the deputy commissioners to ensure that the entire process of allotment is completed at the earliest in a transparent manner, the spokesperson added.

The anti-Sikh riots were triggered by the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The assassination was in retaliation for Operation Bluestar in which the Indian Army had entered the Golden Temple in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar to flush out militants holed up there.

The riots claimed the lives of over 3,000 Sikhs, among them women and children, throughout the country.

Badal also directed the state revenue department to address all the issues relating to rehabilitation of the riot-affected families on priority.

Under the rehabilitation package sanctioned by the union home ministry, a grant of Rs.200,000 per family will be disbursed to riot victims. Applications for this have to be received by Dec 21, but the Punjab government has already written to the centre to extend this by a month.