New Delhi, 30 October (H.S.): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will organise a symbolic protest march in the Sikh-dominated Hari Nagar area of West Delhi on November 1 in support of families, community members and organisations affected by the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Thousands of Sikh citizens, along with BJP workers, are expected to participate in the march.

The protest march will be led by Union Minister Sardar Hardeep Singh Puri. Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said on Friday that the period between October 31 and November 3, 1984, was one of the darkest and most painful chapters in Indian history, particularly for the Sikh community. During those days, thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed in Delhi and several other parts of the country, while their homes and shops were looted and set ablaze.

Objecting to the Congress's proposed rally in Delhi on November 1, Malhotra said organising a political event on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to revive Rahul Gandhi's political standing would hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. He said the Congress should apologise to the Sikh families affected by the 1984 violence before attempting to rehabilitate Rahul Gandhi's political image.

Malhotra said that over the past 10 days, several Sikh leaders and representatives of Sikh institutions in Delhi had been meeting BJP leaders to express their concerns. They had sought the party's support in raising the issue before the public, he added.

The Delhi BJP president also expressed concern that holding a large Congress rally during the Diwali week could cause inconvenience to traders in the national capital. He said the arrival of thousands of vehicles could disrupt traffic and adversely affect business activities in markets across the city.

He claimed that traders had been appealing to Congress leaders to postpone the rally until after Diwali, but their concerns had not been addressed.

Raising the issue of vehicle-related pollution restrictions scheduled to come into effect in Delhi from November 1, Malhotra said the restrictions on the entry of vehicles below BS-VI emission standards from outside the capital could further complicate arrangements for participants travelling to the rally. He cautioned that the situation could lead to disputes concerning traffic management and law and order.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar