Gurdeep Kaur (with mike), president of the 1984 Sikh Katle-aam Welfare Society (women’s wing) addresses mediapersons near the Mini-Secretariat in Ludhiana on Thursday. Tribune Photo: Himanshu mahajan

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 15

Concerned over the lackadaisical approach of the state government towards the victims of the 1984 riots, five woman members of the 1984 Sikh Katleaam Peerat Welfare Society have threatened to immolate themselves in front of the Chief Minister’s residence in Chandigarh on September 17.President of the women wing of the society Gurdeep Kaur said for the past 32 years, they had been hoping that the SAD government, which claims to be a Panthic government and well-wisher of the Sikh community, would fulfil their demands on preferential basis. However, it had failed to do, she rued.Lashing out the SAD government led by Parkash Singh Badal, Gurdeep said SAD had been ruling for 20 years since the 1984 riots, but it failed to resolve their problems. “I consider him (Prakash Singh Badal) as our father, but he has used us for his personal benefits during elections. Badal Sahib was not sensitive towards the problems of the five widows who had lost their family members in the 1984 riots.”Gurpreet added that SAD had been using the 1984 victims for their political ambitions during the past 32 years, but this time it would not be so as they had decided to urge the members of the society to vote as per their conscience. She also criticised the police action yesterday, when the police lathicharged the peaceful protesters.She said they had been on indefinite fast for the last four days, but no minister or senior officer of the government had cared to seek information about the problems being faced by them. Gurdeep added that she along with five widows would march towards Chandigarh and thousands of victims of the 1984 Sikh riots would also join them from across the state. If the Punjab Police tried to stop them on their way, they will take the extreme step on the site and the government will be responsible for any untoward incident thereafter, she warned.

VIctimspeak

• For the past 32 years, we had been hoping that the SAD government, which claims to be a Panthic government and well-wisher of the Sikh community, would fulfil our demands on preferential basis. However, it had failed to do so. The SAD had been ruling for 20 years since the 1984 riots, but it failed to resolve our problems. I consider Parkash Singh Badal as our father, but he has used us for his personal benefits during elections. Badal Sahib was not sensitive towards the problems of the five widows who had lost their family members in the 1984 riots.— Gurdeep Kaur, president, Women Wing, 1984 Sikh Katle-aam Peerat Welfare Society