Committed to ensuring perpetrators of atrocities during anti-Sikh riots brought to justice: Jaishankar

The government is committed to ensuring that perpetrators of atrocities during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots are brought to justice, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday while lauding the Sikh community for building India's image abroad.

He was interacting with NRIs in Australia, Surinam, the US, Singapore, Quatar, Malaysia, the UK and Mauritius through video conferencing on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas when he made the comment.

To a question regarding misconceptions about the Sikh community abroad, Jaishankar said among the Indian communities abroad, Sikhs have been the foremost in shaping the brand and image of India.

Referring to the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, he said, "As a government, we are committed to ensuring that the perpetrators of atrocities are brought to justice. Where some cases regarding anti-Sikh riots were closed, we have had them reopened and reinvestigated. We have looked at compensation for people who have been affected by the riots of 1984."
Responding to a question posed by an NRI from Singapore, Jaishankar said, "We as a country, as a government definitely would like to see the NRIs invest metaphorically and literally in India in a bigger way."