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New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) As the Congress party and its leaders paid tribute to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated by two of her security guards on this day in 1984, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recalled the terror unleashed on the Sikh community in the name of ‘revenge’.
The minister took to his social media account and described the trauma with which the Sikh community is still living. “Today we celebrate the anniversary of one of the darkest spots in the history of independent India. I still shudder when I remember those days of 1984 when helpless and innocent Sikh men, women and children were massacred without a thought, and their properties and places of worship ransacked by murderous mobs led by Congress leaders and their cronies. All this in the wake of the brutal assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi. It was done in the name of ‘revenge’.”
He alleged that the police were “forced to remain mute spectators while Sikhs were being driven out of their homes, vehicles and gurudwaras and burnt alive”.
Puri said the state machinery has stood on its head and patrons have “turned into criminals”.
He said in his post that “Voter lists were used to identify houses and properties owned by Sikhs; no efforts were made to stop the mob for several days”.
“Instead of his statement ‘When a big tree falls, the earth shakes’, PM Rajiv Gandhi gave his open support to the genocide of Sikhs. Congress leaders were seen leading mobs outside Gurudwaras, even as the police stood by and watched. The very institutions meant to maintain law and order abandoned their conscience and gave a free hand to these leaders,” he wrote.
The minister alleged that the leaders held a meeting at the Congress MLA’s house and decided that the Sikhs should be “taught a lesson”.
“Inflammable powder and chemicals were purchased from factories and handed over to the mob,” he said.
Puri said that years later, all this was confirmed by the Nanavati Commission (2005), which very clearly stated how there was “credible evidence against Congress(I) leaders who led the mob and instigated the attacks.”
He wrote on
The Union Minister said that like all other members of his Sikh community, this violence also happened close to his home. “I was a young First Secretary posted in Geneva at that time and was extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of my parents, who lived in a DDA flat in SFS, Hauz Khas. They were rescued in time by my Hindu friend and taken to my grandparents’ first floor house in Khan Market, while unimaginable violence was raging in Delhi and many other cities.”
He said today is a time to remember that violence with anger and outrage, while also paying tribute to the victims and empathizing with the suffering and pain of the families they left behind.
The minister further said that it is time to give importance to the era of inclusive development and peace in which we are living under the leadership of PM Modi.
He concluded in the post, “Today, India not only keeps its minorities safe but also ensures sabka saath, sabka vikas without any prejudice or discrimination.”
–IANS
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