Intro: The phenomenon of riots need to be look into critically. As massacres follow a uniform pattern of killings, the role of police personnel should be beyond political considerations and media trial.
The riots are always tragic and the most detestable kind of occurrence in a civilized society. Innumerable and precious lives are lost, be it Gujrat, Kashmir, Meerut or Moradabad. The sooner we can get rid of this evil the better. But why do we involve in blame game? Thereby we do not arrive at a solution. We didn’t spare Narendra Modi also, who had dedicated his life for the cause of Bharat Mata. And why are we so partisan in our judgment, especially when it comes to judge the performance of our security personnel.
The citizens have to depend upon these security personnel, and we are not ignorant of the conditions in which these brave ones perform in a country like India, where the sundry groups of Marxists and Human Rights watchdogs keep barking in favour of criminals belonging to particular communities, and against our soldiers who have risked their lives for the sake of us. Such critics do not ever give a thought to the adverse and difficult situations these people come across every now and again during raids, search and combing operations.
Hashimpura case is not an exception. The left wing media and the kind of intelligentsia signing mercy petitions for the likes of Afzal Guru and Kasabs, are up in arms again. Those who can recollect the conditions of Hashimpura and Meerut during 1987 know it full well that situation had gone beyond control and the forces had swung into action to stop violence. It was difficult to ascertain who was killing whom. Large number of people was killed in those riots, but the dead-bodies carried by the water of the canal were counted and they were forty two; It was alleged that they were killed in one stroke, and presumably by the PAC personnel, thinking that otherwise it was not possible. As media was not active 24 X 7 in those days and the ruling parties were non-BJP at both the state and the Centre, the case did not face media trial as happened in case of Muzaffarnagar case.
Amidst allegations and counter-allegations the case was investigated, and the charges-sheet was filed, but the prosecution failed to produce evidence against those who were named in FIR. Thus the Court ordered the release of 16 PAC personnel accused in the case. The Court said that the accused could not be convicted on the basis of scanty, unreliable and faulty investigation which has gaps and holes. The accused persons facing trial are entitled to benefit of doubts existing in the case of prosecution, says Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal in a 216-page judgement.
The court acquitted Suresh Chand Sharma, Niranjan Lal, Kamal Singh, Rambir Singh, Sami Ullah, Mahesh Prasad, Jaipal Singh, Ram Dhyam, Sarwan Kumar, Leela Dhar, Hambir Singh, Kunwar Pal Singh, Budha Singh, Budhi Singh, Mohkam Singh and Basant Vallabh of the charges of rioting, abduction, murder, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence under the IPC.
The judge said it was not established beyond doubts that the accused persons had actually committed the offence. According to prosecution, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel had come to village Hashimpura on May 22, 1987, and arrested 42 persons from Hashimpura village and put them in a truck belonging to 41st battalian PAC, alleging further that instead of taking them to police station, the PAC men took them to Murad Nagar canal and Hindon river and 42 persons were shot and thrown into the water. As per the prosecution, 35 persons died and six were the survivors who were also the eye witnesses in the case. The eye witnesses and survivors of incident were Zulfikar Nissar, Mohd Naeem, Mohd. Usman, Muzibur Rehman and Babuddin.
—Dr Shakti Kumar Pandey from Lucknow
