US court summons Amitabh over 1984 riots

Los Angeles federal court issues summons on a complaint filed by New York-based Sikh for Justice

A US district court has summoned legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan for allegedly inciting violence against the Sikh community during the deadly riots in 1984, Times of India (ToI) reported on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles federal court issued the summons on a complaint filed by New York-based Sikh for Justice (SFJ) and two alleged victims of the anti-Sikh riots. The complainant accuses Bachchan of instigating people to violence following the assassination of the then prime minister of India Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.

The Bollywood star allegedly raised the slogan of ‘khoon ke badle khoon’ (blood for blood) following the assassination, the ToI report said.

Under the US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Bachchan has 21 days after receiving the summons to respond to the charges. “If you failed to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for relief demanded in the complaint,” the report quoted the summons issued by the court as saying.

The SFJ has previously unsuccessfully tried to bring several Indian leaders before US courts in cases of human rights violations.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2014.