Hundreds of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supporters on Saturday staged a protest march here demanding justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The march, led by SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, started from Gurdwara Pratapganj and ended outside Parliament Street police station.
The protesters, including women, carried placards and raised slogans, saying “1984 is genocide, we demand justice”.
They were also moving with a banner that said “1984 Sikh genocide, justice denied, carnage continues”. Effigies were also burnt.
Some protesters were detained by the police after a scuffle broke out between them and security forces. They were later released.
During the march, Harsimrat Kaur said: “Our community has been seeking justice for 34 years. Thousands of Sikhs were massacred. Several women were raped and lost their houses. Such atrocity is a blot in the history of India. No one received justice. Why is judiciary not taking suo-motu action?.”
The Akali Dal has been seeking justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which a large number of Sikhs were killed in the national capital and other parts of the country. The riots had broken out in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards.