New Delhi, Dec 18:
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal has said that while he welcomes the court’s decision on conviction of Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, he also hopes that those behind 2002 Gujarat riots and 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots will also get punished. Kejriwal, who was among the first politicians to welcome the Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar on Monday, said on Tuesday that other big leaders involved in riots should also be punished. Speaking to news agency ANI, the Delhi Chief Minister said, “Welcome court’s decision against Sajjan Kumar. At last after 34 years Sikh community got some justice. Hope other big leaders involved in this will also be punished and similarly perpetrators behind 2002 Gujarat riots and Muzaffarnagar riots also get punished.” Soon after the Delhi High Court reversed a decision on Sajjan Kumar in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots on Monday, Kejriwal had welcomed the decision. Taking to microblogging site Twitter, the Delhi Chief Minister had said that “it has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power”.
“I welcome Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riots case. It has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power,” tweeted the Delhi Chief Minister.
Kejriwal further said, “Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe.”
On Monday, the Delhi High Court had reversed a lower court order, which had acquitted Sajjan Kumar, awarding life imprisonment to him. The court also extended the life imprisonment of two other convicts from three years to 10 years.
While announcing the verdict, the court observed, “In the summer of 1947, during partition, several people were massacred. 37 years later Delhi was the witness of a similar tragedy. The accused enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial.”
