NEW DELHI: Contrary to the claim of Lt Governor P.K.Dave that he was pursuing the 1984 riot cases with full vigor, evidence has surfaced that shows he himself has been diluting the cases against prominent Congress leaders, thus stalling the prosecution proceedings.

In a written order on July 13 last year, Dave had directed the Delhi Police to register a criminal case against Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President HKL Bhagat, his wife Asha Bhagat and others on the basis of two affidavits filed by Ms. Harminder Kaur and Ms. Kamlesh Kaur, both residents of Nand Nagri, East Delhi.

But later, he issued another written order rescinding his earlier directive,

‘The new order issued in May this year directs the Delhi Police to make only “preliminary” investigations and wait for orders from the Union Home Ministry before filing any first information report (FIR) against Bhagat and others in serious cases of rioting, unlawful assembly, Causing grievous hurt and murder. A mere preliminary enquiry into a crime committed nine years ago, in all probability, will set the alleged criminals free.

Both Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana and Mr, Dave have been accusing each other of influencing the course of investigations into the 1984 riots. Referring to  Khurana’s statement that cases would soon be regis~ fered against Bhagat, Dave said:’ Once a case is handed over to an investigating agency, it remains between it and the court.”

The two affidavits had charged Bhagat with having instigated the mob to kill and loot Sikh residents of Nand Nagri.

In her affidavit filed on July 23, 1987 before JainAggarwal Committee, Kamlesh Kaur said “On October31, 1984, Bhagat, accompanied by his wife, had addressed acrowd of hoodlums opposite (her) house at Nand Nagri and had exhorted them not to spare any Sikhs. Later, the same mob led by once Hari Singh, had killed my husband Prem Parkash.” In all, she had named 14 persons in her affidavit. In another affidavit, Ms. Harminder Kaurhad made similar allegations against Bhagat. Her husband Head Constable Niranjan Singh, son and son-in-law were killed during the riots.

Article extracted from this publication >>  October 7, 1994