New Delhi: The CBI on Saturday told a court here
that the Delhi police, acting in a pre-planned manner during
the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, kept its "eyes closed" to the
violence.
Advancing final arguments in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case,
in which veteran Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been accused
of instigating a mob in Delhi Cantonment area here, CBI
counsel R S Cheema said the city police "deliberately" did not
act the way it was supposed to.
"This was a case where the police acted in a pre-planned
manner and every policemen was keeping his eyes closed,"
Cheema told Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) J R Aryan.
He said about 150 complaints were made regarding the riot
incidents but only five FIRs were registered by the police.
"Whatever action was taken by the police was taken against
the people who helped the Sikhs. Police did not take action
against the main culprits. No policeman was recording
complaint during the riots. They were not interfering to help
the victims," he said.
Cheema said even the police officials, who were defense
witnesses in the case, had said in their statements that they
had not seen anything during the riots.
During the arguments, the court asked the prosecutor if
the CBI has any "direct evidence" against Sajjan Kumar and
other five accused Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal, Mahender
Yadav, Balwan Khokkar and Captain Bhagmal to show they were
instigating the mob to kill the Sikhs.
"Apart from the witnesses, do you have press reports or
photographs published in the newspapers to show that Sajjan
Kumar was addressing the mob? Do you have direct evidence
against the accused?," the judge asked.
The CBI prosecutor told the court that they do not have
the media reports but they have other direct evidences against
accused, which he would show to the court on April 2, the next
date of hearing.
"We have direct evidence of conspiracy against them
(accused)," Cheema said adding that in today's hearing, he was
only arguing on circumstantial evidence against the accused.
Sajjan Kumar and the other five accused are facing trial
on the charge of inciting mobs against the Sikh community
during the riots.
Advancing the arguments, the CBI prosecutor told the court
about the nature of the case and said this was not a case of
personal enmity.
"This was not a case of personal enmity. This was a
pogrom. It was a case of massacre where people of a particular
community in the society were targeted. People of the Sikh
community were eliminated," Cheema said.
Six Sikhs were allegedly killed in Delhi Cantonment area
during the riots that had broken out after the assassination
of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.
The case against Sajjan Kumar was registered in 2005 on a
recommendation by Justice G T Nanavati Commission. The CBI had
filed two charge sheets against him and other accused in
January 2010.
The trial court had in May 2010 framed charges against
Sajjan Kumar and five others under Sections 302 (murder), 395
(dacoity), 427 (mischief to cause damage to property), 153-A
(promoting enmity between different communities) and other
provisions of the IPC.
The Delhi High Court had earlier asked the trial court to
expeditiously dispose of the case.
Sajjan Kumar is facing prosecution in three separate cases
in which he has been accused of inciting a mob against the
Sikh community during the 1984 riots.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, March 31, 2012, 18:32