I was absolved of involvement in 1984 riots: Kamal Nath

Senior Congress leader and newly appointed General Secretary in charge of Punjab, Kamal Nath on Monday asserted that he was absolved by the Nanavati Commission of any involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

"Nanavati Commission in its report which is also available on internet has absolved me and said that in no way I have either instigated or participated in anti-Sikh riots," Nath told NDTV here.

"This was end of the matter as there was never a charge against me and the matter was also raised in Parliament, there was no charge by the Akalis themselves for all these years," he said.

When asked about the perception being developed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal regarding his involvement in the riots, Nath said: "The perception is that this is politics and since he is slipping back in Punjab, he is bringing this issue and we will deal with it."

On the other hand, senior AAP leader Harvinder Singh Phoolka said that even police records show that Kamal Nath was present with the mob at Gurdwara Rakabganj at the time of the riots.

"Kamal Nath himself gave an affidavit to Nanavati admitting his presence with the mob at Gurdwara Rakabganj. He admitted and said that he went there to pacify the crowd," Phoolka said addressing a press conference here.

"The Congress is rewarding Kamal Nath for obeying (then Prime Minister) Rajiv Gandhi's orders during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi," Phoolka added.

"How can they give Kamal Nath a clean chit when his name has cropped up again and again in connection with violence against Sikhs in 1984," Phoolka said, citing newspaper reports and the Nanavati Commission findings.

Thousands of Sikhs were killed in communal violence that broke out in Delhi after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, by her Sikh bodyguards.

--IANS

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