In a poignant ceremony held in New Delhi on Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta personally distributed government appointment letters to 36 family members of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, marking a significant step toward rehabilitation more than four decades after one of independent India’s darkest chapters.

The event, attended by Cabinet Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, witnessed emotional scenes as beneficiaries received permanent government jobs under the Delhi government’s long-pending compassion-based recruitment scheme. The Chief Minister described the initiative as a moral obligation of the state toward families that lost breadwinners and loved ones in the systematic violence that erupted following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Recalling her own childhood memories of the horrific events, Gupta shared that she was barely ten years old when mobs roamed the streets of the national capital targeting Sikh families. “The fear in people’s eyes, the hidden identity markers, the burning homes – those images are etched in the minds of an entire generation. No amount of compensation can erase that trauma, but the government must stand firmly with the victims and ensure their dignity,” she stated.

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The Chief Minister lauded the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reopening sealed cases through a Special Investigation Team, which led to the conviction and imprisonment of several perpetrators who had evaded justice for decades. “For years, files gathered dust and culprits walked free. It was only after 2014 that concrete action began,” Gupta emphasised, positioning the appointments as part of a broader effort to deliver both legal and economic justice.

Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, visibly moved, thanked Chief Minister Gupta for fast-tracking the rehabilitation process and fulfilling promises that previous governments had repeatedly ignored. He described the moment as a “small ray of closure” for families that have carried silent grief for 41 years, reaffirming that recognition by the state itself is a powerful form of healing. As the ceremony concluded, the beneficiaries expressed gratitude mixed with tears, stating that the jobs would finally bring stability and honour to households shattered in November 1984.

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