Amritsar: Five women in Punjab threatened self- immolation in protest against the non-implementation of the decisions taken for rehabilitation of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

More than 2,000 Sikhs were killed in one of the worst communal riots in New Delhi following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

The security personnel allegedly plotted the murder to take revenge for the entry, on her order, of troops into the Golden Temple to eject Sikh militants hiding inside the shrine.

The women, belonging to the danga peerit (riot affected) welfare society, performed a ceremony at the Golden Temple on June 2 before heading for the state capital Chandigarh where they plan self- immolation in front of Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh's residence.

The women, wearing saffron robes and a black band, blamed him for not taking care of their rehabilitation and welfare.

"After 18 years, the Chief Minister (Amarinder Singh) has once again pressurised us to take this step. We are homeless now. We have left our small children behind to immolate ourselves. We have not come here happily. We are very, very disturbed," said Gurdeep Kaur.

Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has already disapproved of their "unethical" conduct.

But Amarjit Singh Dhawa, general secretary of the welfare society, said the women were forced to take the drastic step. "The Congress government, which is responsible for the killings of thousands of Sikhs and rape of hundreds of women in 1984, has again come to power. Whatever relief was allotted to us by the previous Chief Minister has been cancelled by the present Chief Minister (Amarinder Singh). These women had gone to meet Amarinder but they were thrown out of his house. Now tell us what will they do?" said Dhawa who also has volunteered self-immolation with the next group.

The welfare society has been demanding allotment of 327 booths, houses and plots and opening of schools in remote villages.

Human rights groups have accused several leaders of the then ruling Congress party, including government ministers and deputies, of leading a lynch mob in Delhi to avenge Indira Gandhi's killing.

ANI