NEW DELHI: Criminal cases against former Indian minister H.K.L Bhagat and Sajjan Kumar, a Congress (I) M.P., were registered fast week in connection with the murder of thousands of Sikhs in 1984. Sikhs had been clamoring for action against these two” guilty men” as well as present Indian minister Jagdish Tytler all these years.
India had been putting up strong resistance to the demand as these men enjoy considerable clout in the ruling party. The registration of the cases against those two men at this stage is significant. All major Akali groups have turned against Delhi and have boycotted the Punjab election, It is equally noteworthy that the cases have been registered on the eve of the Punjab election to use it as an argument with voters the Indian government is sincere about punishing the guilty. Indias “independent judiciary”, to, is falling in line. Its refusing to grant stay orders to the culprits while in the past such stay orders were liberally granted.
While four cases have been registered against Sajjan Kumar, wo have been filed against Bhagat. Interestingly, no case has been registered against another accused, the present central minister Tytler who had been earlier charged with involvement in the post Indira Gandhi assassination riots in Delhi.
The two cases against Bhagat have been registered under the Shakarpur and Trilok puri police station in east Delhi. At the Shakarpur police station, Bhagat has been named in the FIR number 348 and charged under Sections 147/148/149/345/427/436/ 4454 and 380 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by Manjit Singh, a resident of New Mahavir Nagar
The case at the Tilokpuris police station against Bhagat has been Dut under Sections 147/146/149/ 295/395/426 and 440 IPC. The complainant in this case is Inderjit Singh, said to be an eyewitness to the murder of a Gurdwara Granthi, Darshan Singh, This FIR numbered 734, too has named H.K.L. Bhagat as the man controlling the movement of the mob that killed the Granthi.
Both these cases against Bhagat have been registered on December 13,1991. “The cases against Sajjan Kumar have been registered at police sans Mongol puri, Saraswat Vihar, Sultanpuri and Nangloi in the outer Delhi area. The most damaging first information repost against Sajjan Kumar has come from a 35yrold woman, Mahinder Kaur, a former resident of Mongolpuri, who has said that she saw Sajjan Kumar leading a mob of over a thousand people exhorting people to bum down houses.
In the FIR registered at Saraswati Vihar police station against Sajjan Kumar, cases have been lodged under Sections 147/148/149/302/ 307/345/397/436i440 of the IPC. According to the complainant, Vibha Sethi, she filed the FIR against Sajan Kumar after she recognized his picture in a Hindi magazine, The FIR number is 511/ 84.
Interestingly, in one case at the Sultanpuri police station, cases have been registered under Sections 147/148/149/436/43 1/342 and 427 of the IPC and the evidence is said to be pointing out at Sajjan Kumar, but no action has been taken. The FIR in this case was filed on February 18,1987.
In another case filed against Saijan Kumar and three others on the same day at the Nangloi police station cases have been registered under Sections 147/148/149/427 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code, In this particular case too there said to be clinching evidence against the Congress (I) MP.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 28, 1992
