The Hindu : International / India & World : 1984 anti-Sikh riots an issue in U.K. elections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 04, 2005

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International - India & World

1984 anti-Sikh riots an issue in U.K. elections

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: The 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India have emerged as a significant issue in Britain's general election campaign. Sikh voters are seeking a commitment from candidates that, if elected, they will help the victims get justice from the Indian Government.

There is widespread anger among the country's 7,00,000-strong Sikhs that more than 20 years after the "massacre", the perpetrators have still not been punished.

"We are asking every candidate who comes to us to give an assurance that they would raise our concerns in Parliament and lobby with the Government to take it up with the Indian Government," said Ajit Singh, who was a sarpanch in Jallandhar when the riots took place. Now he helps to run a gurdwara in Leicester, which has a sizeable Sikh electorate.

Families of many British Sikhs suffered in the riots, which followed the assassination of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.

They are bitter that successive governments have failed to get them justice.

They want British politicians to put pressure on New Delhi to allow independent international human rights groups to investigate the killings.

In Leicester, Asian candidates Keith Vaz (Labour) and Paramjit Singh Gill (Liberal Democrat) said they shared the concerns of their Sikh constituents.

Mr. Gill said he supported the demand for an investigation by human rights organisations and wondered why New Delhi should oppose it.

In Southall, a predominantly Sikh area in west London, voters said they felt "let down" as even a Sikh Prime Minister had not done anything.

"When Manmohan Singh became Prime Minister, we hoped that he would do something but he has also disappointed us," said a bus driver.

The Sikh Federation (U.K.), Britain's only Sikh political party, has urged voters to use the election to raise their concerns about the protection of minorities in India.

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