Wednesday, May 1, 2013: Washington, DC - The court let off Kumar in the 29-year-old case in which he was accused of murder and of instigating a riotous mob that killed five Sikhs in Delhi's cantonment area.
The Sikh-American community on Wednesday expressed its deep disappointment over Sajjan Kumar's acquittal by a Delhi court in one of the three 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases.
In a statement, California-based North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) alleged that the investigating agency "colluded with the guilty" to let them go scot-free and said the verdict has dashed hopes of people who waited for nearly three decades for justice.
"The special CBI court verdict surprised us as the court acquitted the Congress leader but convicted five other accused -- Mahinder Yadav, Balwan Khokhar, Krishan Khokhar, Captain Bhamal and Girdhari Lal," NAPA Chairman Dalwinder Singh Dhoot said in a statement.
The court let off Kumar in the 29-year-old case in which he was accused of murder and of instigating a riotous mob that killed five Sikhs in Delhi's cantonment area.
Kumar, a former Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi who was denied Congress ticket for 2009 elections, still faces trial in another 1984 rioting case. In a third case, Delhi Police has filed a closure report, saying there was no evidence against Kumar to implicate him.
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Related Article: Protests against acquittal of Sajjan KumarTNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Protests-against-acquittal-of-Sajjan-Kumar/articleshow/19816918.cms
May 1, 2013: NEW DELHI: Sikh groups protested here on Wednesday demanding stringent punishment for Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was acquitted the day before in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The protesters gathered outside the Tilak Nagar police station in west Delhi, close to a resettlement colony of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.
Two Metro stations in Delhi were closed in the afternoon as Sikh protesters came onto the tracks with placards and shouted slogans against Sajjan Kumar's acquittal, an official said.
The protesters were holding placards that said 'Give justice to '84 victims' and 'Hang the culprits' and shouting slogans against Sajjan Kumar's acquittal on Tuesday by a Delhi court.
A Delhi Metro official told IANS: "We had to shut the entry gates of Tilak Nagar and Subhash Nagar Metro stations in west Delhi on the Noida City Centre-Dwarka line."
"Scores of protesters entered the station and they jumped into the tracks around 12.45pm.," he said.
A train was forced to halt for around 10 minutes due to the sudden protest, the metro official said.
"The entry gates of the two stations are closed," metro official added.
According to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who provide security to the Metro, around 60 protesters barged into Subhash Nagar metro station.
"The force was immediately rushed to the station and the protesters were evicted. The train was delayed for a few minutes," CISF spokesperson Hemendra Singh told IANS.
The protesters raised slogans against the Congress and Sajjan Kumar and demanded action against other accused in riot cases, including Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, blamed for instigating a mob that led to the murder of three men in a gurdwara in north Delhi on Nov 1, 1984.
On April 10, a Delhi court ordered the reopening of the case against Tytler.
Sajjan Kumar was acquitted on Tuesday by a Delhi court in a case related to the killing of five people in the Delhi Cantonment area during violence against Sikhs following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984.
His acquittal came almost three decades after an estimated 3,000 Sikhs were killed in three days of riots in India's capital and elsewhere.
"After 30 years we are yet to get justice. Government should feel ashamed. We will never forget and forgive who allowed culprits get scot free. We want justice," one of the protesters said.
Sikh groups in Jammu also held protests over the acquittal of Kumar and blocked the Jammu-Kashmir Highway.
Activists of several Sikh organisations led by Harjeet Singh sat on a dharna and took out demonstrations at Digiana on the outskirts of the city.
Raising anti-government slogans, the protesters termed the acquittal of the Congress leader as an "injustice" to the Sikh community in the country.
"Injustice has been done with us--the judgement has shown that Sikhs are second class citizens of the country", Singh told reporters here.
"3000 Sikhs were killed on the roads of Delhi--they were brutally murdered--their houses were burnt down," he said, adding the judgement has shocked the entire Sikh community, who were hoping for justice.
"We will fight back. We want justice. We don't have any faith in the Congress government", he said.
In Talab Tiloo area of Jammu, a group of Sikh youth held demonstrations against the acquittal of Kumar.
"Hearts of all Sikhs are weeping over the judgement," Charanjeet Singh, a protester, said.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
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