A number of Sikh leaders and members of households affected by the 1984 anti-Sikh riots staged a protest exterior Rahul Gandhi’s residence on Saturday, demanding an apology over remarks by sure Congress leaders allegedly describing former get together chief Sajjan Kumar as a “hero” and “function mannequin”.
The protest got here after Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress chief, died on Thursday. He had been convicted in a case associated to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The protesters, led by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Administration Committee (DSGMC) president Harmeet Singh Kalka and common secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, gathered exterior Gandhi’s residence at 5, Sunehri Bagh Street amid heavy police barricading.
A DSGMC chief stated the Congress ought to make clear whether or not Kumar, who was convicted in instances associated to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, was being thought to be a “hero”.
“After Sajjan Kumar’s loss of life, the sort of statements given by Congress leaders saying Sajjan Kumar is our hero are objectionable. Rahul Gandhi has to make clear right this moment whether or not Sajjan Kumar is their hero,” the chief stated.
Referring to a press release made by Congress chief Deepender Singh Hooda, the DSGMC chief demanded that Gandhi apologise to the Sikh neighborhood.
“Forty-two years later, the injuries of our households have been reopened. Our sentiments have been damage. Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders should acknowledge and apologise,” he stated.
The protesters stated they have been in search of an apology from Gandhi and different Congress leaders over the alleged remarks.
The DSGMC had earlier stated the protest was being organised after the Congress “as soon as once more allegedly referred to Sajjan Kumar, accused within the killings of hundreds of Sikhs, as a job mannequin”, claiming that the remarks had reopened the injuries of the Sikh neighborhood and households affected by the 1984 violence.
Police deployed heavy barricading round Gandhi’s residence because the protesters gathered there on Saturday afternoon.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
