Riots: Relief peanuts

The grant of additional compensation to the families of innocent Sikhs killed by politically motivated ruthless goons, post the murder of Indira Gandhi, comes a trifle too late, and is nothing more than peanuts (“Kin of anti-Sikh riot victims to get Rs 5 lakh compensation”, October 30). Thirty years down the line, justice has been denied to the bereaved families, many of whom may have perished by now. Will the NDA government ensure that justice is rendered to the victims of all riots: be it Delhi, Gujarat, UP or any other part of the country expeditiously?

Col Bobby Garewal (Retd), Mohali

Punish killers

We are thankful to the BJP government at the Centre for giving compensation to the victims of anti-Sikh riots in November, 1984. But this is not enough. One had high hopes from the BJP. It must punish the killers of the Sikhs and satisfy the aggrieved community. From October 31 to November 3, 1984 about 4,000 Sikhs are reported to have been killed. The Indian media blacked out this catastrophe. The Canadian TV had shown Sikhs being put to death with burning tyres.

No killer of the Sikhs has been punished. On the other hand, some murdrers were rewarded with high positions in the government.

Amar Jit S Goraya, Griffith (Australia)

Shame on govt

The compensation of Rs 5 lakh announced by the government to the victims of 1984 riots is a right step. But the mental agony of the victims can only be satisfied by punishing the culprits. Only exemplary punishment can heel their wounds. The successive governments have spoken about the atrocities meted out to the hapless Sikhs in Delhi and other parts of the country but not a single person has been punished. It is nothing but shame on our political, executive and judicial systems.

Wg Cdr Jasbir S Minhas (Retd), Mohali

Wild goose chase?

The way in which the Indian Government, politicians and the public in general have so far acted and reacted about the unearthing of black money allegedly stashed abroad in banks is ridiculous. There could be no better way of giving advance warning to the account holders of all that black money to move it to safer places. By disclosing the identities of illegal account holders, if any, the government has violated the terms of treaties entered with the foreign countries and it is sure to prove costly.

This appears to be a wild goose chase. The names of only those who hold legitimate bank accounts in foreign lands have come to light. Rather than bringing the huge wealth back home as was promised, this approach will bring the country bad name for making a mess of the exercise. It might just be remembered as a blunder and a vote catching ploy.

Subhash Kaura, via email

BJP’s U-turn

The Supreme Court has come out strongly on the issue of foreign bank accounts because it suspects foul play. No matter what the consequences, any treaty or clause which is not in the interest of the nation should be scrapped forthwith with the consent of Parliament. This was the stand of the BJP when it was in the Opposition. It about-turn when in power has exposed it.

Playing coy in the initial stages by taking shelter under the confidentiality clause like the Congress did, the BJP also tried to shield powerful people involved in this shameful act of treachery. But for the proactive intervention by the judiciary and activists such as Prashant Bhushan, things would have gone from bad to worse.

SC Dhall, Zirakpur

Unsafe bank lockers

The daring bank heist in Gohana, Haryana, where the robbers reportedly broke open 78 lockers and escaped with the loot is shocking. Bank lockers are supposed to be the safest method of keeping costly personal belongings. However, time and again, this assumption has been proved wrong with similar instances of bank lockers having been broken into by thieves. It is natural for the account holders who lose their valuables like this to feel cheated. There is hardly any risk cover in the event of things going wrong this way. The banks wash their hands off since these are undeclared assets and there is no way to quantify the loss of the locker holders.

The system needs to be made foolproof. Why are there are no guards on 24x7 duty and why security alarms are not fitted in the banks? How could the burglars carry out such a long operation of digging a tunnel and breaking the lockers without being noticed?

The RBI and other authorities must devise a policy that guarantees full risk coverage in the eventuality of loss due to theft, fire or fraud etc.