All ’84 riot victims will get relief: Patil

Admitting that Sikhs attacked outside Delhi had not been adequately compensated, the minister said the twin panels would remove discrepancies in relief and consider giving jobs to dependents of those killed in the riots.

The panels would get two months to do this.

Patil promised to examine the cases of Sikh Armymen who were allegedly burnt inside the trains and whose families have not been compensated till now.

The minister sought to clear the name of the Congress and the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He said Rajiv himself went from place to place to try and end the riots. “We all were at Teen Murti Bhavan with the body of Mrs Gandhi but Rajiv Gandhi was nowhere to be seen for many hours,’’ Patil said, pointing out that Rajiv, who had been sworn in as caretaker Prime Minister by then, was out trying to control the violence.

The minister said even the NDA-appointed Nanavati Commission had not pointed fingers at top Congress leaders. “That lie, which has over the last 21 years been used to poison the minds of the Sikh youth, stands nailed conclusively,” he said.

Patil refuted the BJP’s charge that the Action

Taken Report on the probe panel’s report virtually amounted to rejecting its recommendations.

“…Whosoever figures in the Nanavati report — and the Commission has in its wisdom found it necessary to draw an adverse inference about their conduct or behaviour — we will reopen those cases,” he said.

Patil said legal experts would be consulted to reopen cases against police officers named by the Commission who had retired many years ago.

“Many of them retired many, many years ago. But within the ambit of law, whatever action we can take, we will reopen those cases also if the law of the land permits that”, he said.