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Four arrested in UP in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case
Kanpur was the second worst-affected city after Delhi during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots with 127 casualties. The Uttar Pradesh government formed the SIT in May 2019 on Supreme Court orders.
Four persons were arrested on Wednesday in connection with a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case being probed by a special investigation team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government on the orders of the Supreme Court.
All four accused, identified as Vijay Narayan Singh (65), Yogendra Singh (65), Saifullah (64) and Abdul Rahman (65), have been sent to jail, said Balendu Bhushan Singh, deputy inspector general of police, who is part of the SIT.
“The accused, all residents of Ghatampur area of Kanpur, were identified during the course of investigation,” the DIG said.
Kanpur was the second worst-affected city after Delhi during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots with 127 casualties. The Uttar Pradesh government formed the SIT in May 2019 on Supreme Court orders.
“All four had come in a truck with others and set a house on fire in Nirala Nagar (in Kanpur) on November 1, 1984. Three people were burnt alive while one person was thrown off the roof of the house,” the senior officer said.
The arrests were made in connection with a first information report (FIR) lodged at the Kidwai Nagar police station based on a complaint of double murder registered by one Virendra Singh, Singh said.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots broke out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards. Thousands of Sikhs were killed in the riots in which Delhi was the worst hit city.
During three years of the probe, the SIT identified 83 accused allegedly involved in murder, rioting, arson and loot in 11 cases of heinous crimes pertaining to the riots. Verification revealed that 20 of the 83 accused had died.
Apart from identification, the SIT gathered evidences and examined witnesses in four states: Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. As many as 135 witnesses recorded their statements under Section 164 of the CrPC before the competent magistrate in Kanpur, people familiar with the matter said. They helped the SIT with identification of total 74 people in connection with the 1984 riots.
The SIT also got these accused to record their statements before the magistrate.
A total of 1,251 riots-related cases were registered in Kanpur—40 of them were under heinous crimes. These 40 cases were taken up for investigation by the SIT comprising an SP-rank officer, two inspectors, 10 sub-inspectors and a former retired district judge Subhash Chandra Agarwal, who helps with the legal aspects.
Of these 40 cases, the police closed 29 by filing the final report in the court till 1988. The charge sheet was filed in 11 cases. During the trial, all the accused were acquitted for want of evidence.
Later, some Sikh bodies approached the Supreme Court, which ordered an SIT to investigate the heinous crimes. The SIT period was fixed for six months, but it was given several extensions.
Sardar Mokam Singh, former head of Gurudwara Banno Sahib, said the struggle of more than three decades has yielded results. “We welcome these arrests. This is the victory of Constitution. The Sikhs do not want any compensation but punishment to accused.”
