31 years later, wait for justice ends

Victims’ kin happy over life term for accused, but say none of the governments stood by them

MEERUT:Over 3,000 people of Hashimpura locality had to wait for justice for 31 long years.

Setting aside the verdict of a lower court, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday pronounced life imprisonment for 16 former cops of PAC found guilty of kidnapping and killing innocent residents of Hashimpura in the process of controlling communal riots in 1987.

In 2015, the lower court had given the accused the benefit of doubt and acquitted them, but the victims filed a review petition in Delhi high court against the decision of this court.

Babudeen, Zulfikar Nasir, Usmaan, Naeem and Mujib-urRehman who had a miraculous escape in the incident still live in Hashimpura with horrific memories of the tragic night of May 22, 1987.

On that day, Babudeen had sustained a bullet injury, first at the canal site and thereafter he was shot from point blank in the chest and thrown into the river. He somehow managed to swim to the other side of the river where Ghaziabad police rescued him and admitted him to a hospital where he found Mujib-ur-Rehman, who was also rescued and admitted. They were discharged after three weeks of treatment.

Babudeen said: “I was alive only because of the mercy and care of the then SSP of Ghaziabad VN Nair and DM Naseem Zaidi.”

“All cops were not bad. It was a conspiracy hatched by a handful of cops and officials. But eventually, justice prevailed though we had to wait for 31 years,” he added.

The survivors and families of the victims are upset over the attitude of governments in the past 31 years.

“None of the governments stood by us in the battle for justice and they always favoured ‘khaki’,” said a teary-eyed Jamaluddin, 82, father of Qamaruddin who was killed in the massacre.

“Initially, we were threatened against pursuing the case, but we decided to fight for justice facing all odds and finally succeeded in our relentless efforts,” claimed Riyazuddin, 50, brother of Qamaruddin.

NO CHANCE TO PERFORM LAST RITES

Hashimpura is a Muslim dominated locality in the old city area and those who lost their kin in the 1987 massacre still rue the fact that they did not get a chance to perform the deceased’s last rites.

Riyazuddin said his brother was 18 years old when cops shot him. Zulfikar Nasir said he and another survivor Naeem took the injured Qamaruddin to the main road, from where he was taken in a Ghaziabad police vehicle for treatment but succumbed to injuries on the way.

Later, family members identified Qamaruddin by his photo taken in the police station. Police officials told the family that two Muslim cops performed his last rites but they refused to divulge the place where he was buried.

“They were scared that it could create evidence against PAC and therefore refused to say anything more in this regard,” said Riyazuddin. His octogenarian father said: “I still have the pain of being deprived of performing my young son’s last rites.”

HASHIMPURA INSAAF COMMITTEE

Upset over the lower court’s decision in 2015 wherein all 16 PAC jawans and officials were acquitted on the basis of doubts, Zulfikar Nasir formed the Hashimpura Insaaf Committee to bring families of all victims and survivors together to carry on their battle for justice.

He said: “The lower court’s order was a shock for us. But instead of being nervous, we decided to create a platform for carrying on our battle.”

All families of victims are associated with the committee, which is headed by Zulfikar, who is a petitioner in the case along with Babudeen.