Social activist Nafisa Ali consoles a family member of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victim at a demonstration in New Delhi on Thursday. - PHOTO: PTI

NEW DELHI: The BJP-led Opposition parties on Thursday kept up pressure on the Manmohan Singh Government to immediately prosecute all those named by the Nanavati Commission on 1984 anti-Sikh riots and sought an assurance that any person involved would not be "rewarded" with political or diplomatic rehabilitation.

Moving a motion under Rule 168 (entailing voting) in the Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Rajnath Singh said the government should modify the Action Taken Report and immediately "prosecute and punish" the persons indicted by the Commission in a time-bound manner. "It is not a question of politics but of the credibility of the government." The motion was defeated by voice vote.

Mr. Singh sought rehabilitation of those affected and action against Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, Dharam Das Shastri and all police officers who were said to have been involved. "Even if they have retired, they should be brought to book."

Quoting extensively from the report, Mr. Singh said that under Congress pressure those arrested for the killing of Sikhs were let off. He asked the Congress why it did not feel the same anger against the anti-Sikh riots as it felt for the killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines or the Best Bakery case in Gujarat and why action was not taken immediately after the 1984 incidents.

Urging the Opposition not to use the debate to score political points, Ashwini Kumar (Congress) said the party had asked one of its Ministers to quit even though in law there was no case of culpability against him. "Yet this party and the government are being called to account by those whose hands are sullied in the blood of thousands of people in Gujarat."

Questioning the BJP's credibility for taking a moral high ground, CPI (M) leader Nilotpal Basu rejected major portions of the Nanavati Commission Report. Looking at the terms of reference (set by the previous National Democratic Alliance government), it was not intended to deliver justice to the victims and bring to book those involved in the 1984 riots, he said.

He said the government had taken some steps in clearing the air, but it should specify in what manner it proposed to deal with Mr. Tytler and Mr. Sajjan Kumar. That will be the strength of the government to rise to the challenge of the past not to have delivered justice. "At times people are afraid to go to the police against the high and mighty. This is important because next Gujarat (report) is coming up."

Samajwadi Party leader Janeshwar Mishra had the entire BJP protesting vociferously when he charged that in Kanpur RSS cadres were seen moving with Congress members during the anti-Sikh riots. Sushma Swaraj (BJP) said Mr. Mishra could not say just anything and get away with it.

P.G. Narayanan (AIADMK) sought prosecution of those named in the report and a special rehabilitation package for the families of the victims. R. Chandra Sekar Reddy (TDP) said while the accused in Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi assasination were tried through special courts, in the case of anti-Sikh victims the delivery of justice was tardy.

S.S. Ahluwalia (BJP) brought the Home Minister Shivraj Patil to his feet when he started quoting from an affadavit filed against Union Minister Kamal Nath. He said Sikhs were a proud community and would never beg for compensation.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Ramdeo Bhandary expressed satisfaction at the "quick action" taken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in securing Mr. Tytler's resignation and giving assurance of re-opening other cases.

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