Jan
20
Relief package for 1984 victims
January 20, 2006 | Comments Off on Relief package for 1984 victims
On December 29, the Indian government approved a Rs 715 crore ($158 million) relief package for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms. Two months prior to this, two committees from the Ministry of Home Affairs recommended that the government pay about Rs 1,000 crore in compensation.
The package takes into account earlier payments, and provides for Rs 3.5 lakh ($7,800) maximum for each death and Rs 1.25 lakh ($2,800) maximum for each injury. The package also compensates damage to uninsured property at ten times the amount already paid.
Kuldip Kaur, who lost her husband in the riots, said the money was not enough.
On January 3, families of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms and the 1984 Sikh Massacre Affected Welfare Society organized a rally. Leaders from the rally said that after 21 years and nine commissions, there has been no real progress towards rehabilitation for the survivors; they also demanded action against leaders and others responsible for the massacre.
Rejecting the package offered by the Central Government of Rs 2 lakh for the affected families, they said most of the youths of the affected families were unemployed and this amount would be insufficient for their rehabilitation.
Despite the compensation package approved by the government, many of the survivors of the 1984 massacre will continue to suffer; the pogroms continue to impact lives through the effects of trauma, the status of orphans and widows, and the effects of property destruction. The Indian government still has not fully addressed the victims’ rights to knowledge, justice, and reparation, including restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, and guarantees of non-repitition.
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