A special investigation team probing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots here arrested four more people who allegedly were part of a mob that had set a house ablaze here during the violence, resulting in several deaths, according to an official. As many as 127 people were killed in the riots in Kanpur. The special investigation team (SIT) has so far arrested 19 people in connection with the violence that took place following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in Delhi.
The fresh arrests were made on Monday and Tuesday in five cases, one of which was lodged with the Naubasta police and the rest four with the Govind Nagar police. The SIT was formed by the Uttar Pradesh government three years ago to reinvestigate the cases. The four arrested were identified as Rajan Lal Pandey (85), Dhirendra Kumar Tiwari (70), Deepak (70) and Kailash Pal (70).
They were produced before a court, which remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days, said Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Balendu Bhushan Singh, who is heading the SIT. The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 396 (dacoity with murder) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), he said. Efforts are on to arrest 11 others who have been traced by the police but are currently absconding. They have been named in two separate FIRs lodged with the Naubasta and Govind Nagar police, the DIG added.
The crackdown against the accused had started on June 15 after the SIT held four prime accused from Ghatampur, followed by two more arrests on June 21. Just 20 days ago, the SIT also nabbed five people. On July 6, the SIT had arrested four persons, including two real brothers Yogesh Sharma (65) and Bharat Sharma (60), both residents of Dabauli, Govind Nagar. The SIT was constituted by the state government on May 27, 2019 on the orders of the Supreme Court. It has been probing the anti-Sikh riots for the past three years and efforts are on to nab more suspects, the DIG told PTI. The SIT had earlier identified 96 people as prime suspects, of whom 22 have died.
The details of about two dozen suspects were gathered and it helped the SIT nab 19 of them so far, the officer said. The DIG said the arrested persons, including Kailash Pal and two real brothers, had accompanied an armed mob to Dabauli, Govind Nagar, for attacking the house of Vishakha Singh. The rioters killed Vishakha Singh, his wife Saran Kaur, daughter Gurvachan Kaur, sons Joginder Singh, Gurcharan Singh, Chatrapal Singh and Gurmukhi Singh.
Two family members, including Vishakha Singh’s son Avtar Singh, had somehow managed to save themselves. Avtar had disclosed the identities of seven prime accused including, Yogesh Sharma, his brothers Bharat Sharma and Manish Sharma, a former corporator, who has gone underground to evade his arrest. The DIG praised the 17-member police team who played the key role in nabbing the prime accused and announced a cash reward of Rs 15,000 for it.
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