Sikhs protest in Canada, demand justice for 1984 victims

Hundreds of Sikhs in Canada demonstrated outside the Parliament in capital city Ottawa, demanding justice for victims and families of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India.

The protesting Sikhs got support on Tuesday from some Canadian lawmakers, who said perpetrators of such violence should be brought to justice, a statement by US-based Sikh advocacy group Sikh For Justice said.

Conservative lawmaker Parm Gill spoke in the House of Commons about the "denial of justice" to the riot victims and their families.

The riots broke out in India's capital New Delhi following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

Canadian Sikhs have also launched a signature campaign to press on the newly elected Parliament to stand with the victims of the riots by conducting a debate on the issue.

SFJ aims to collect 100,000 signatures in support of the community's demand to bring forward a "Genocide Motion" in Parliament, SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said.