Political parties in UP vie to take credit for verdict
LUCKNOW: The sentencing of 16 expolicemen to life imprisonment has made political parties in Uttar Pradesh claim credit for the verdict by the Delhi High Court on Wednesday.
Spokesperson of Samajwadi Party Rajendra Chaudhary said it was the Samajwadi Party government which fought for justice after the Tiz Hazari court acquitted the accused policemen. “The Akhilesh Yad-led government in the state challenged the order in the Delhi High Court in May, 2015. The SP government also gave ₹5 lakh compensation to the victims, he said.
Chaudhary said it would send a message to the people that the Samajwadi Party always fought for the rights and protection of the minority community.
Former additional advocate general and convenor of Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) Zafaryab Jilani too gave credit to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav for the Wednesday verdict. “When the lower court acquitted the culprits in 2015, Yadav who was then the chief minister decided that the state government will challenge their acquittal in the Delhi High Court. The SP government presented all the documents related with the case, report of the investigation commission as well the prime witness before the court. The Muslim community knows that they got justice due to Akhilesh’s initiative,” he said.
On the other hand, a senior BSP leader said it was Mayawati who in 1997 as chief minister ordered for the prosecution of the accused policemen following the inquiry report of the CB-CID. “Though the case remained pending in the court for a long period, it was only when the BSP government was in power in 1997, 2002 and 2007, the family members of the victims were assisted in pursuing the case in the court,” he said adding, “There was pressure on the survivor as well as the family members of the victims but the BSP leaders in West UP stood with them and gave all assistance.” Reacting to the claims, political observer RK Gautam said political parties had been working on polarization of votes in communally sensitive West UP. “The SP and the BSP claims are to grab their votes in the coming general election. The then Congress governments in the state as well as the centre were blamed for the communal tension that led to riots in Meerut and adjoining districts in 1987. The government of the day failed to expedite action against the policemen and the inquiry gained momentum only after the survivors moved a petition in the court. To counter the SP and the BSP the saffron brigade might try to polarize the voters as well,” he said.
Former UP DGP Vibhuti Narain Rai, who was superintendent of police, Ghaziabad, in 1987 when the massacre took place, was among the first officers to reach the canal in which the bodies were dumped by the cops after the killings. Talking to HT, Rai said though the judgement took a lot of time, justice was not denied to the family members of the victims. He however said though constables were punished by the court senior officers still escaped punishment.
Rai said political parties should desist from using the incident or the court judgement to polarize vote. “The atrocities on the victims were committed by the state and its machinery and the state government should compensate them for the loss and suffering,” he said.
Former head of Lucknow University professor SK Dewedi said the political parties’ attempt to polarize the voters in UP will not succeed. “The Muzaffarnagar riot (2013) had torn the communal harmony in West UP. People now wish to live in peace. They are aware that policemen were involved in the killings and now the court has punished them for that,” he said.