The Hindu : National : Sikhs reject U.P. compensation

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Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007
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National

Sikhs reject U.P. compensation

Special Correspondent

LUCKNOW: Describing the financial assistance given by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Kanpur as a “crude joke,” the Sikh community here has rejected the gesture.

According to an official press statement released on Monday, Rs. 17.58 lakh was distributed to 35 riot victims by Kanpur District Magistrate Alok Kumar on the directives of the Chief Minister. The release stated that Rs. 4.67 lakh would be distributed to 18 affected families after verifying their claims of the losses suffered during the riots which rocked Kanpur in the aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. The press statement quoting Mr. Kumar said the compensation followed a special campaign which was launched at the behest of Ms. Mayawati and was in tune with the Bahujan Samaj Party government’s policy of “sarv jan hitaya sarv jan sukhaya.”

A Sikh delegation from Kanpur now plans to meet the Chief Minister to apprise her of the ground realities and demand the implementation of the 1996 Vora-Kuldip package. The package currently gathering dust in official files approved a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 5 lakh respectively with the quantum depending on the scale of losses. The cost was to be borne by the Union government with the State government merely implementing the proposal.

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