Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday defended himself after he was asked about his alleged role in the attacks on Sikhs in 1984, which broke out after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
“I took oath in 1991 and several times after that, no one said anything,” Nath told reporters moments after he was sworn in. “There is no case, first information report or chargesheet against me. I was also in-charge of [the party affairs in] Delhi. Today they are raking up this matter. You can understand politics behind this. Did eyewitness tell you [about his involvement]?”
His comments came on a day the Delhi High Court sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment in connection with the violence. “Sajjan Kumar is a murderer and so is Kamal Nath,” Jagdish Kaur, whose husband and son were killed by a mob, told Scroll.in.
The Congress has said the case should not be politicised and the law should take its own course. Senior party leader Kapil Sibal pointed out that Kumar does not hold any position of power in the organisation.
Kamal Nath had been questioned by the Nanavati Commission for his alleged role in the attacks. He was absolved of involvement due to lack of evidence. As many as 2,433 people had died in Delhi alone following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
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