Justice Dhingra report shows Cong 'protected' those involved in anti-Sikh riots: BJP

The BJP on Thursday cited a SIT report to accuse the Congress of protecting those involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, saying it never showed interest in providing justice to the victims and its leaders even "justified" the violence against the community.

BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by retired Delhi High Court judge Justice S N Dhingra has brought to fore the truth and said what happened in 1984 was not just riots but the "worst kind of genocide" against Sikhs.

The Modi government, he asserted, stands for giving justice to Sikhs and has already told court that it will act on the SIT's recommendations.

Javadekar said Congress leaders like the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and more recently, Sam Pitroda "justified" the violence with their comments.

A Congress leader named as accused by victims has become chief minister, he said in an apparent reference to Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath.

However, Kamal Nath has always denied his involvement and had received a clean chit in investigations carried out earlier.

The SIT report shows that the hands of the Congress are with "murderers", the BJP leader said, noting that it points out that one FIR was registered to probe over 500 cases of arson and violence in places like Sultanpur, leading to delay in probe and acquittal of accused.

"The Congress never took any interest in the probe. In fact, it did exact opposite and protected accused," he said, adding that over 3000 Sikhs were burned alive in a matter of days in the national capital following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.