Operation Blue Star: Punjab govt to compensate all Jodhpur detenues

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday assured compensation to all Jodhpur detenues who were arrested and detained in Jodhpur jail in the wake of Operation Blue Star in 1984.

A total of 365 persons had been arrested and detained after the Operation Blue Star in 1984 and were eventually released in 1986. While 100 of them have since died, 40 had gone to court alleging excesses. All 40, seven of whom passed away in the interim — were awarded a compensation of approximately Rs 4.5 crore announced by the Amritsar district court.

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While handing over the cheques for the state’s 50 per cent share of the compensation amount, the CM said the remaining 325 Jodhpur detenues would also be paid compensation by the Punjab government on par with the 40 who were awarded the same by the court.

Amarinder also promised to persuade the Central government to do the same and expressed confidence that the Centre would agree to his plea to also contribute its share to the remaining 325 detenues.

The cheques that were out today by the state government amounted to Rs 2,16,44,900. The CM said those who did not go to court were also entitled to compensation and his government would make the same payment to them too.

Amarinder said his government had been prepared to release the full compensation to the 40 detainees who had won the case in the district court but he was then informed by the Central government of its decision to release its share soon.

It was a small compensation for the pain they had undergone, he said, assuring the detainees that his government would also look into their demand for jobs for their children. Recalling the painful period that Punjab had gone through post-1984, the CM urged the detainees and their families to forget the past and move on.