Kanhaiya''s remarks on ''84 riots invite Sikh ire

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 29

Welcoming the Centre's decision to remove the names of 36 Sikhs from the "black list", Manjit Singh GK, president of the DSGMC as well as SAD's Delhi unit, today censured Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU Students' Union chief, for his comment on the 1984 Sikh killings, calling these the result of "uncontrolled mob frenzy."

"By removing the names of 36 Sikhs from the 'black list', the Government of India has given partial relief to Sikhs who took political asylum in foreign countries for political reasons. We want the list be scrapped altogether. Sikhs who have not visited India for decades must be given visas to meet their families," Manjit Singh said.

He appreciated the Delhi High Court Chief Justice for asking the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to rethink its approval to the Santa Banta movie.

The SAD leader said that Kanhaiya was born after the Sikh "genocide" and knew nothing about it. Hence, he should not talk about it. "Kanhaiya is a Congress supporter.Congress leader Shashi Tharoor compared him with Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Kanhaiya should visit the colony of widows in Tilak Vihar for which the Congress is solely responsible," he said.

Kanhaiya had on Monday compared the alleged onslaught on varsities with the Gujarat riots, alleging both were carried out “with support” from the state machinery, even as he stressed there was a fundamental difference between “emergency” and “fascism”.

Asserting that there was a difference between the 2002 riots and the 1984 Sikh massacre, Kanhaiya alleged that in Gujarat violence was carried out through the state machinery while the other was the result of mob frenzy.

“There is a fundamental difference between a mob killing a common man and massacring people through state machinery," he said while participating in a panel discussion on “Voices of Azaadi” during the “Jashn-e-azadi” festival organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of the late historian Prof Bipan Chandra.