New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- In the last one-and-a-half years, the Delhi government has provided jobs to 150 members of families affected by the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday.
Ensuring justice and dignity for the victims remains a priority for her government, she asserted.
During the programme "Samvaad: With the Victim Families of the 1984 Anti-Sikh Pogrom" held at the residence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Gupta interacted with members of affected families and listened to their struggles and long wait for justice.
Recalling the events of 1984, the chief minister said the suffering of these families could not be expressed in words, and the pain of their loss continued even during festivals like Diwali.
The events of 1984 should not be described as mere riots, she said, as they were not a conflict between two groups but a one-sided attack on innocent and defenceless people.
Gupta said her government was committed to ensuring justice for the affected families. She also referred to the Centre's constitution of a Special Investigation Team in 2015, which facilitated the reinvestigation of the cases.
Providing justice to the victims was a moral responsibility rather than a mere administrative duty, she said.
The chief minister said the Delhi government had made efforts to provide economic and social support to victims' families. Rules were amended to simplify the appointment process, which included relaxation in their educational qualifications and the upper age limit for eligibility. Eligible families can now nominate a member they consider suitable for the job, she said, adding that appointments were given in cases where documents and other formalities had been completed.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.