Take back 'Bharat Ratna' from Rajiv Gandhi, demands Delhi MLA

An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator on Friday demanded that the "Bharat Ratna" conferred on the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi be taken back as he had allegedly justified the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The demand came in the Delhi Assembly as an amendment proposed to a resolution moved by Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh.

"The House urges the Centre to take back India's highest civilian award 'Bharat Ratna' from late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for justifying the 1984 anti-Sikh riots," Singh added after reading out the resolution passed by the House.

Since the resolution had already already been passed by the Assembly, the amendment proposed by Singh could not be passed, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj told IANS.

The House also resolved that special fast-track courts be set up for quick and time-bound trials in all pending 1984 riots cases, as "34 long and painful years" have already passed, during which many victims have died and the remaining witnesses are in advanced stages of their lives.

The resolution, passed after a discussion, directed the Delhi government "to strongly convey in writing to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that justice continues to elude the families and near-dear ones of the victims of the worst genocide in the history of the national capital".

Further, the House also directed the Delhi government to ask the MHA to take all necessary steps to include crimes against humanity and genocide in India's domestic criminal laws, as recommended by the Delhi High Court in its recent verdict sentencing Sajjan Kumar and other convicts to life imprisonment.

"Unfortunately, the justice delivery system has failed the 1984 riots victims so far," Singh read from the resolution.

"This House resolves to call this worst riot clearly and unambiguously a genocide.

"Any further delay will only erode the credibility of investigating agencies and the justice delivery mechanism in the eyes of the common man," he said.

Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain also said that the 1984 was an organised crime and "was done by the people from the political parties on the orders of their leaders".

He also said that if the punishment had been given to the culprits of 1984 in time, other such similar riots would not have happened.

--IANS

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