NEW DELHI: The Delhi police are in a fix over a bunch of fresh affidavits from relatives of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the Capital, regarding H.K.L. Bhagat.

He has been accused of actively instigating some of the violence in West Delhi, The affidavits had come through the It-governor’s office two months ago, with a recommendation from the official committee (Jain-Agrawal) perusing these, to register the charges. The police have just decided to ask the administration to re-verify the allegations.

The Delhi Administration had sent seven affidavits in the first week of July to the police to register Cases against the persons named. In one of them, Bhagat has been charged with serious offences of conspiracy and instigation. Four other affidavits say he, along with Sajjan Kumar, the late Dalit Dahen add Dharam Das Shastri, inspired, helped and supported rioters to go On a rampage,

The one affidavit when tested the police, has been filed by one Surinder Singh of Mangolpuri. He has alleged that Bhagat held a meeting of local Congress workers and leaders in his house the day Indira Gandhi was assassinated, According to the affidavit, Bhagat told his party men to kill all the Sikhs of Delhi and bum their property. Later, the affidavit goes, a large crowd, also comprising those present in the meeting, descended on Mangolpuri, looted the property of a gurdwara in K Block and then went on killing people, Singh’s wife, Surinder Kaur, and three other relatives were also killed by rioters,

The affidavits of Surjit Kaur, Lal Singh, and Ram Singh do not carry much weight, police officials said, They have charged Bhagat and others with inspiring, helping, supporting and politically emerging the notes. None of these prove Bhagat was actively involved. The police’s dilemma, arising out of Surinder Singh’s affidavit, was whether to name Bhagat in the case to be registered or not.

The Jain-Agrawal committee refers cases to the Delhi Administration after verifying facts from the complainants. The administration, in tum, sends the verified complaints to the police to register cases in the respective police Stations.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 9, 1992