IMC-USA welcomes the sentencing of killers of 1984 Anti-Sikh pogrom
IMC-USA welcomes the sentencing of killers of 1984 Anti-Sikh pogrom, urges UPA govt. to implement the recommendations of the Nanawati Commission.
May 17, 2005
Indian Muslim Council – USA, an advocacy group of Indian Muslims in the United States dedicated to safeguarding the democratic and pluralist ethos of India, applauded the life sentencing of five killers involved in the anti-Sikh pogrom that took place after the assassination of then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1984.
The five men were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for their role in the brutal murder of a Sikh, Mr. Baba Singh. Mr. Singh was burnt to death on November 1, 1984. During this period, thousands of Sikhs, estimates range anywhere from 2000 to 10,000, were targeted and killed in India in one of the worst anti-minority pogroms witnessed by the country.
Mr. Attaulla Khan, Director of Outreach and Coalition at IMC-USA stated that, “In light of the blatant communalism demonstrated by Gujarat courts, this is a welcome sign in the direction of justice. It is a travesty of justice that it took the courts over twenty years to come to this judgment.”
Mr. Khan reiterated the commitment of IMC-USA to strengthen India’s secular democracy and said, “Justice is one of the pillars of democracy and we hope that the perpetrators of the 1984 carnage against the Sikh community are brought to justice. Appointing independent commissions and not acting on their recommendations is a mockery of the process. IMC-USA urges UPA government to implement the recommendations of the Nanawati Commission’s report.”
CONTACT:
Rasheed Ahmed
Vice President, IMC-USA
265 Sunrise Highway, suite 1-355
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
(516) 567- 0783
info@imc-usa.org
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