Akali Dal rakes up 1984 anti-Sikh riots issue in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: Akali Dal today raked up in Lok Sabha the issue of 1984 anti-Sikh riots and questioned the status of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe while attacking Congress over the massacre of thousands of innocent people in that carnage in Delhi.

During Zero Hour, Akali leader Prem Singh Chandumajra referred to the absence of Congress members, who were boycotting the House to express solidarity with 25 MPs suspended on Monday for five working days.

"They (Congress) have been talking about the murder of democracy. Murder of democracy happened when innocent people were massacred in 1984 in Delhi," he said about the riots that took place after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"A big leader of Congress had then said that 'when big tree falls, the earth does shake'....The issue has been forgotten... There has been no punishment to the guilty even after so many years," the member from Punjab said about the case in which a number of Congress leaders and activists are accused.

He said after the Modi government came last year, it had set up an SIT to go into the issue again and announced that Rs 5 lakh would be paid to the victims.

"What is the status of the SIT? What is the status of that compensation announced," Chandumajra asked.

He also wanted a resolution to be passed to pay tributes to those killed in those riots.