In the first judgment in any of the seven cases registered against cops on the charges of committing rape, loot, distorting evidence in the infamous Rampur Tiraha incident in Muzaffarnagar district, the court of additional district judge (ADJ), Muzaffarnagar, on Friday convicted two former PAC constables for raping and looting a female protestor of Uttarakhand 30 years ago.
The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on March 18 (Monday), said additional district government counsel (ADGC), Muzaffarnagar, Pervinder Kumar. As per Kumar, the court of ADJ Shakti Singh convicted now retired PAC constables Milap Singh and Virendra Pratap under sections 354, 376 (2) (G), 392 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code.
The CBI investigated the seven cases on the directions of the Allahabad high court. They include government versus Radha Mohan Dwivedi (rape), government versus Brij Kishore (planting weapon), government versus SP Mishra (disposing of dead bodies of protestors), government versus Moti Singh and two cases in government versus Rajbeer Singh (tampering with police record and fake medical certificates).
Cases against Moti Singh and Rajbeer were closed after their deaths. Currently, four cases are under trial in which the court convicted Milap Singh and Virendra Pratap. Both accused were present in the court when the court convicted them.
At least seven Uttarakhand activists were killed and many women activists were allegedly molested during police firing at Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarnagar on October 1, 1994. The activists were on their way to Delhi from Rishikesh to raise their demand for a separate state of Uttarakhand that was later carved out of Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000.
{{/usCountry}}At least seven Uttarakhand activists were killed and many women activists were allegedly molested during police firing at Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarnagar on October 1, 1994. The activists were on their way to Delhi from Rishikesh to raise their demand for a separate state of Uttarakhand that was later carved out of Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000.
{{/usCountry}}The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) presented 15 eyewitnesses in the court, including the then Uttar Pradesh home secretary Dr Deepti Vilas, who were examined during the hearing.
CBI’s deputy SP SR Agarwal had lodged a case in Rampur Tiraha incident on January 25, 1995 and miscellaneous writs filed by Uttarakhand Sangharsh Samiti in the case were also accommodated in it for investigation.
A probe revealed that protestors from different parts of Uttarakhand, including women, were on the way to Delhi on the night of October 1, 1994 when the buses carrying them were stopped at Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarnagar.
A few cops broke the window panes of one bus and allegedly hurled abuses at its occupants. Meanwhile, two PAC constables looted a gold chain and some money from a female protestor and later outraged her modesty.
Cases were registered against 1,500 protestors who were travelling in more than 200 buses. Later, seven cases were also registered against cops on the charges of committing rape, loot, distorting evidence etc.