New York: A US US federal court has issued summons to Congress party president Sonia Gandhi after a Sikh group filed a complaint alleging that she was protecting Congress leaders involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi.
According to SFJ attorney Gurpatwant S Pannun, a class action suit was filed Tuesday before the district court of Eastern District of New York by “Sikhs For Justice” (SFJ), a US-based human rights group, and other victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Sonia Gandhi.
According to Pannun, under federal rules, the court has 120 days to serve the summons and complaint on Sonia Gandhi who is currently visiting the US for medical check-up.
The suit under Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) accuses Gandhi of shielding and protecting Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and other Congress leaders from being prosecuted for their alleged role in the 1984 violence.
The 27-page complaint against Sonia Gandhi alleges that between 1 and 4 November, 1984 about 30,000 members of the Sikh community “were intentionally tortured, raped and murdered by groups that were incited, organized, controlled and armed” by leaders and workers of the ruling Congress party.
