KL Report
SRINAGAR
The Jammu and Kashmir Sikh Council has condemned the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the infamous anti-Sikh riots case of 1984 by a trial Court at Karkadooma in New Delhi.
“We strongly condemn the acquittal of Sajjan kumar in the anti-Sikh riots case. It seems like the law of land is different for minorities in India,” Harmohinder Singh, President of the Jammu and Kashmir Sikh Council said.
In a press release the Jammu and Kashmir Sikh Council has expressed anger at how in case of Afzal Guru and Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar sentence was carried out on the basis of circumstantial evidence while as in case of Sajjan Kumar even the account of eye-witnesses has been over-looked.
“The acquittal of Sajjan shows the biased attitude of Indian government towards the minorities in India. We have lost faith in the Indian judicial system,” Singh said.
The Congress leader Sajjan Kumar had allegedly incited a mob which then went on to kill five persons from the Sikh community in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment in 1984. In the year 2000, G T Nanavati Commission was set up to probe the incident. In 2005, on the recommendations of G T Nanavati CBI registered a case against Kumar and in the year 2010 Court issued summons against Kumar, Balwant Khokkar, Mahender yadav, Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal, Krishan Khokhar, Late Maha singh and Santosh Rani.
The Karkadooma Court acquitted Kumar of all charges which included murder, rioting, criminal conspiracy and causing enmity between different communities while as the two other accused Mahender Yadav and Krishan khokhar were convicted for rioting under section 147 and 148 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Former counselor Balwant Khokhar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal were held guilty of the offence of murder under section 302 of the Indian penal code (IPC) which entails death as maximum punishment.
