India’s Mega Star Faces Legal Issues For Instigating The 1984 Riots
Super Star Amitabh Bachchan who has been recently hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) is running into legal troubles. Summoned by the Los Angeles federal court, he has been accused for prompting violence against the Sikh community in the November 1984 program that took place shortly after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh guards. Apparently, he had raised a revengeful slogan “Khoon Ka Badla Khoon” (blood for blood) on Oct 31, 1984.
Bachchan has 21 days to respond to the summons and respond to the charges that indicate the violation of human rights. The Oct 27 summon issued, according to Times of India reads, "If you failed to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for relief demanded in the complaint.” His accusers are New York-based Sikh for Justice (SFJ) and two alleged victims of the anti-Sikh riots who have filed the complained against the mega star.
Pic Credit: WN.com
The staff at First Post informs that the primary witness in the case, Jagdish Kaur has been provoking the controversy further and raising anti-Sikh sentiments in the popular media. In particular, he recalls, I watched live relay on Doordarshan and saw Bachchan raising his arm and shouting the slogan, 'khun ka badla khun sae lenge' (Blood for blood) two times. "
Bachchan has denied these allegations, of course, and took it a step further in 2011 writing a letter to Akal Takht stating that he did not have any role in the anti-Sikh riots also highlighting that he is Sikh ethnicity as well because his maternal grandparents were Sikh.
The letter says: "I wish to take this opportunity to vehemently and categorically deny these allegations against me which are completely baseless, false and untrue. The Nehru-Gandhi family and our family have old ties from our city of origin, Allahabad. We have been together in each other's hour of grief and joy, but to allege that I was a part of the crowd that incited them to raise anti-Sikh slogans is a preposterous and blatant lie.
Quite contrarily, I have always propagated the soothing of injured feelings and the maintenance of serenity. The unfortunate incidents of the riots of 1984 against the Sikhs shall always remain a blot and a dark phase in the history of our country, a country that prides itself in its secular credentials."
A moment from the riots/Pic Credit: Wikimedia
The 1984 riots were a disturbing time period reminding India of its troubling past which originated during the time of nation building in 1947. The riots caused a commotion and led to the deaths of more than 3,000 people. The staff at Dawn, however, point out that many Sikh activists claim that it was a “state-sponsored genocide” which took the lives of 30,000 people nationwide.
Feature Image Source: india
1984, Actor, Amitabh Bachchan, Anokhi Blogs, Anokhi Media, Bollywood, India, Indira Gandhi, Jagdish Kaur, Kaun Banega Crorepati, Los Angeles, Sikh, Sikh Riots, Times Of India
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