April 30, 2013 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau
New Delhi, India (April 30, 2013): Thousands of Sikhs were massacred during the first week of November 1984 in Delhi and elsewhere in India. The killings of Sikhs were carried out in form of different massacres, that were part of a wider plan of genocide of Sikhs.
Indian state system did not only suffered the failure to deliver justice to the victims and try or punish the culprits; rather it patronized and rewarded the culprits with political seats.
Indian system took 29 years to conclude a case against Sajjan Kumar, one of the culprits was facing charges of instigating the killings of Sikhs at Delhi cantonment area.
But the trial court acquitted Sajjan Kumar of all the charges in this case, while convicting five others. Sajjan Kumar is an Indian politician who was able to evade investigation or trial in November 1984 Sikh massacres related cases for more than two decades. It was only after the recommendations of Justice G. T. Nanavati Commission in 2005 that FIR was registered against him. The CBI has filed charge-sheet against Sajjan Kumar and five others in 2010.
As per media reports on April 30, 2013 the District and Sessions Judge J R Aryan acquitted Sajjan Kumar while convicting five others -Balwan Khokkar, an ex-councillor, Mahender Yadav, an ex-MLA, Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal.
The case was related with the brutal murder of five Sikhs– Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh– who were members of the same family and were killed in an organized Delhi Cant’s Raj Nagar area.
Balwan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal were held guilty for the offence of murder under section 302 (murder) of the IPC which entails death penalty as maximum punishment while Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokkar were convicted for the offence of rioting only.
Balwan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal were ordered to be taken into judicial custody by the court.
It is notable that most the cases related to massacres of Sikhs in November 1984 remains untried even after the lapse of 29 years as there were only few trials. Convictions were there in very rare cases – that too against low-profile culprits. These cases signifies the persistent denial of justice to the victims of largest organized massacre in post-1947 India.
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Related Topics: 1984 Sikh Genocide, Denial of Justice, Indian State, November 1984, Sajjan Kumar