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Title: Regarding need to accord permission by the Govt. to CBI to file chargesheet against the accused persons of 1984 anti-sikh riots indicted by the Nanawati Commission.
MADAM SPEAKER: Now, we take ‘Zero Hour’ matters.
SHRIMATI HARSIMRAT KAUR BADAL (BHATINDA): Hon. Speaker, Madam, our country belongs to all of us. Every community, including every minority – be it a Muslim, be it a Christian, be it a Sikh, be it everyone – has equal right and equal status in our country. I belong to a community that comprises of less than two per cent of our country’s population. Our community is small in number but has always made huge sacrifices in the interests of our nation. Even in our country’s freedom struggle, out of 2,125 Indians killed by the British, 73 per cent were Sikhs; out of 2,646 people sent to Kala Pani, 80 per cent were Sikhs; out of 121 Indians hanged and executed, 78 per cent were Sikhs. Our community, that helped build India by shedding its blood and sacrificing its sons, could never have imagined that to put an end to the tyranny of foreigners, after 37 years, they would be targeted by their own people on the basis of their turbans and their long hair. Today, I speak as a Sikh representing my community but more specially my gender. The Sikh women who saw their husbands, sons, fathers and brothers burnt, hunted and mercilessly killed in front of their eyes. For three consecutive days, a turban Sikh man was hunted as a praise hunt and the very protectors of society themselves, it seems, had turned into hunters!
I have these experiences myself as a young college girl, locked up in the store of our servant’s quarter with my two little brothers and my ailing 85 year old grandfather with my mother begging us to try, not to even breathe so that the mob, plundering and ransacking our house, in search of us, would not find us.
Many sisters of my community were not so lucky. The 1984 riots saw thousands of wives being widowed, thousands of children being orphaned, thousands of mothers lost their beloved sons, and the sisters their loving husbands. To lose a single loved one in the family is heart-breaking. Imagine the plight of those women who lost their husbands, their sons, their father, their brothers in one stroke. This is not conjecture.
I would tell you about Manjeet Kaur of Shakurpur who lost 21 members of her family that night; Mina Kumari from Sultanpuri who was getting prepared for her wedding, lost nine male members of her family, who were wiped out that night and she herself was kidnapped and tortured. These are not thousands of faceless victims; there are people like you and me who have lived this pain and horror for the last 25 years with the one hope that some day, the guilty will be brought to book, who did this to them. There are 11 eye-witnesses, who have taken the mighty and the powerful and even recorded their statements in front of magistrate under section 164 Cr.P.C. But in spite of that, no charge sheet was filed.
In 25 years, ten Commissions have sat on this. But to what avail? In November 1984, Marwah Committee was appointed, but the enquiry stopped midway. We had Misra Commission, which indicted police officers, but they were given promotions. We had Kusum Mittal Committee, which indicted 72 police officials, but they got promotions. We had Jain Aggarwal Committee recommended registration of cases against Shri Sajjan Kumar and others, but no case was registered. We had Potty Rosa Committee which also recommended registration of cases against Shri Sajjan Kumar and others, but the cases were closed during Congress tenure. We had Jain Aggarwal and Narula Committees – all recommended cases to be registered, but not a single case was registered.
I will cut the long story short. In August 2005, Nanavati Commission of Inquiry submitted its report, recommending registration of cases against Shri Sajjan Kumar and others. Four cases were registered by the CBI in 2005; but even after four years, the CBI has still not filed a single charge sheet against him.
On November 24th, in this House, I asked a question to the Government whether it had received the CBI’s request for a fresh charge sheet. The answer I got was that it had received it. For my question as to the constraints for not according permission to the CBI, I was given an ambiguous reply which says that the request of the CBI is under consideration.
Twenty five years have passed since this massacre took place. A charge sheet which should normally take three months, it took four years for the CBI. For what reason? How long do we have to wait for justice? Is 25 years not long enough?
I do not like to say this. When an Ex-Prime Minister was killed, the assassins were hanged in four years. When another Prime Minister was killed, Nalini is spending 18 years in jail. But when 7,000 Sikhs were butchered in broad daylight, the entire country has witnessed; after 25 years, not a single person is punished. They go around scot-free.
I demand an answer from this Government. I demand an answer, why is no decision being taken by the Government to give the CBI permission to file a charge sheet? Give us yes or no; but at least, give us an answer. Surely, after 25 years, we deserve an answer. I am proud to be an Indian, because this great country has enshrined in its Constitution, secularism, that preaches that every community be treated with equal dignity and respect. In the eyes of our law, everybody is equal – be it the Prime Minister or aam admi. Let us uphold the essence of secularism. Let us together and collectively stand behind what is right and unitedly fight what is wrong. The Holy Granth says,
“एक पिता एकस के हम बारिक” It means, God is one and we are all his children. India is one and we are all Indians. First, we divided humanity on the basis of religion; let us not divide India in the name of communalism.
I appeal to all the hon. Members to support us in this fight for justice. … (Interruptions)
We should restore, to some extent, the dignity of the 7,000 innocent lives that were wiped out mercilessly, but most importantly to ensure that no community in our country, no minority community in our country, should ever live in the fear of their own countrymen, in their own motherland. Thank you. … (Interruptions)
श्रीमती सुषमा स्वराज (विदिशा): अध्यक्ष महोदया, हम अपने आप को पूरी तरह से इस विषय के साथ सम्बद्ध करते हैं।
अध्यक्ष महोदया : आप अपना नाम भेज दीजिए।
…( व्यवधान)
MADAM SPEAKER: Whoever wants to associate themselves can send their names.
… (Interruptions)
श्री रेवती रमन सिंह,
श्री राम चन्द्र डोम,
डा. तरुण मंडल,
श्री शैलेन्द्र कुमार,
श्री भर्तृहरि मेहताब,
डा, अनूप कुमार साहा,
श्री शेख सैदुल हक,
श्री महेन्द्र कुमार राय,
श्रीमती सुस्मिता बाउरी,
श्री नृपेन्द्र नाथ राय,
श्री पुलीन बिहारी बासके,,
श्री अशोक कुमार रावत,,
श्री खगेन दास और
श्री दारासिह चौहान को भी इस विषय के साथ सम्बद्ध किया जाए।
श्रीमती सुषमा स्वराज : अध्यक्ष महोदया, नेता, प्रतिपक्ष कुछ कहना चाह रहे हैं।
श्री लाल कृष्ण आडवाणी (गांधीनगर): अध्यक्ष महोदया, सामान्यत: शून्यकाल में जो बातें कही जाती हैं, वे केवल रिकार्ड के लिए होती हैं। लेकिन मैं समझता हूं कि यह मामला इतना गंभीर है कि सदन के नेता को इसका नोट लेकर इस पर जो कमियां रही हैं, 25 साल हो गये हैं, 1984 का वर्ष हमने अपनी आंखों से देखा है, हम भूल नहीं सकते।…( व्यवधान)
श्री अधीर चौधरी (बहरामपुर): जब आप होम मिनिस्टर थे, तब आपने क्या किया?…( व्यवधान)
श्री सैयद शाहनवाज़ हुसैन (भागलपुर): आप बैठिए। मैडम, यह क्या तरीका है? हमारे लीडर बोलेंगे तो ये उनको बोलने नहीं देंगे। लीडर ऑफ अपोजीशन को टोकने का यह क्या तरीका है? ये जानबूझकर खड़े हो जाते हैं।…( व्यवधान)
अध्यक्ष महोदया : अच्छा ठीक है, मना कर दिया। अब आप बैठ जाइए। वे बैठ गये हैं।
श्री सैयद शाहनवाज़ हुसैन : मैडम, देखिए, वे फिर खड़े हो गये हैं।…( व्यवधान)
अध्यक्ष महोदया : बैठ जाइए।
…( व्यवधान)
श्री लाल कृष्ण आडवाणी : अध्यक्ष महोदया, इतने गंभीर मसले पर जिस प्रकार से ध्यान से सारे सदन ने सुना कि कितने कमीशंस बने और क्या-क्या उन्होंने घोषणाएं की, निर्णय किये लेकिन अच्छा होगा कि आज पुरानी बातों को अलग रखकर इस सदन ने जिस पूरे ध्यान से सुना है, उसी ध्यान से सदन के नेता उसका गंभीर नोटिस लेकर और उस पर समुचित कार्यवाही करने का वचन सदन को दें और कहें और जरूरत हो तो एक छोटी सी सदन की कमेटी बना दें, कमीशन को छोड़ दीजिए। कमीशंस बहुत बने लेकिन सदन की एक कमेटी बने और जो समुचित कार्रवाई करे क्योंकि इस पर जरूर कुछ कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए।…( व्यवधान)
श्री असादुद्दीन ओवेसी (हैदराबाद): गुजरात पर भी एक कमेटी बननी चाहिए।…( व्यवधान)
श्री लाल कृष्ण आडवाणी : मैं सबका जवाब दे सकता हूं।…( व्यवधान)
श्री शरद यादव (मधेपुरा): अध्यक्ष महोदया, आडवाणी जी ने कहा है, सरकार को इस पर रेस्पांड करना चाहिए और यह वाजिब बात है।…( व्यवधान)
अध्यक्ष महोदया : सदन के नेता बोल रहे हैं।
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE (SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE): Madam Speaker, there is no doubt, as the hon. Member was speaking, definitely, she brought us back to one of the most tragic events which happened two-and-a-half decades ago. I was present in Delhi on that day; of course, I came late that day. Everybody knows what happened on that day. The short point that I can tell is that every one of us, feels ashamed that it happened. I agree with her entirely what she said in her concluding part of her observations she said – what happened, perhaps we cannot get back the lives which were lost. We cannot remove the agony which the affected persons felt but surely we can take a vow and draw a lesson that in future it does not happen. I have taken note of it and I will talk to the Prime Minister and to other colleagues in the Government and would see what best can be done in the given situation.… (Interruptions)
डॉ. शफ़ीकुर्रहमान बर्क (सम्भल): महोदया, गुजरात वाले मुद्दे पर भी कमेटी बनाई जाए।…( व्यवधान)
अध्यक्ष महोदया : उन्होंने बोल दिया है।
…( व्यवधान)