Punjab govt demands justice for riot victims

“The failure of the system to deliver justice even after 30 long years has caused deep resentment and led to a dangerous alienation… Such issues needed to be addressed with utmost seriousness by the National Integration Council,which by its very definition was the perfect forum to bring about the emotional integration of our people by assuaging their hurt sentiments,” he said.

Underlining the need to create an atmosphere in which people have faith in the sincerity and impartiality of the leaders,Majithia emphasised the need of sagacious leadership and an effective police force. “Besides,the political leadership also has to rise above narrow votebank politics and be representative of all communities and guard against alignment with sectarian forces,” he said. Majithia also highlighted the aspect that Punjab has the proud to be one of the few states,where no communal or caste riots have taken place after the post Partition trauma of 1947. “In the last two years,hundreds of people have been killed in communal clashes and thousands injured in almost 20 states,but no incident of communal violence had been recorded in Punjab,” he said.

Stressing that this atmosphere of communal harmony had not come the state’s way by sheer chance,Majithia,who was representing Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the occasion,said that only 10 days ago,the Punjab Police had unearthed a cross-border plot to target prominent Hindu leaders of the state. “This speaks for the constant vigil being kept by us to ensure communal harmony is maintained at all costs,” he said.

Presenting NCRB statistics,Majithia said Punjab accounts for only 1.33 per cent of the total cases of crime against women in the country. Reiterating the state’s priority for safety of women,he listed out various steps initiated to ensure quick trial of crimes against women.