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Human Rights Watch calls for
justice for 1984 victims
WSN Network
New York: The
failure of successive Indian governments to bring to justice those
responsible for mass revenge attacks on Sikhs after the
assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi 25 years ago is a
severe blot on
India's
legal system and democracy, Human Rights Watch has said.
"Delhi
was a scene of carnage, yet 25 years later the victims are still
waiting for justice," said Meenakshi Ganguly, senior researcher on
South
Asia at
Human Rights Watch. "Instead of bringing prosecutions, even when
they know who was responsible, officials have done everything they
could to bar the way."
Angry mobs,
instigated by leaders of the then-governing Congress Party,
committed countless acts of retribution, killing and wounding
thousands of Sikhs and destroying their property and businesses.
For two-and-half
decades, victims and their families seeking justice have been
confronted by government opposition and obfuscation, including
prolonged trials, biased prosecutors, an unresponsive judiciary,
police intimidation, and harassment of witnesses. No senior
government officials or politicians have been prosecuted despite
evidence of their role in the atrocities.
"The victims of
the 1984 massacres have waited for the law to take its course and,
sadly, they are still waiting," Ganguly said.
4
November 2009
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