‘SIT to find out extent of loss of lives’

2,850 FIRs were lodged but cases not pursued after majority of victims’ families moved out of Kanpur

KANPUR : Thirty-five years after the rampaging mobs committed murders and loot in Kanpur during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the special investigation team (SIT) formed by the state government will focus on finding the exact number of victims and the damage caused in violence.

According to the president of Gurudwara Banoo Sahib Mohkam Singh, the SIT will determine the exact number of Sikhs killed, looted, internally displaced and the FIRs lodged.

“This has been our demand as the governments in the state and at the Centre were not forthcoming on these issues,” he said.

Singh, one of the founder members of the All-India Danga Rahat Committee, said the government maintained that only 34 riot-related FIRs were lodged in Kanpur. “I have copies of nearly 1,000 FIRs that the victims had lodged at different police stations against rioters,” he said.

Replying to an RTI query, the Kanpur police had said 116 cases were registered in connection with the riots. According to Kanpur police, 6 FIRs were lodged with Bajaria police station, two with Chamangunj, 13 with Babupurwa and 95 with Fazalgunj.

Surprisingly, the police claimed no FIR was lodged at Nazirabad, Rail Bazar, Gwaltoli and Armapore estate police areas

› The families of the victims are ready to produce all evidences they have with them against guilty people. MOHKAM SINGH, president, Gurudwara Banoo Sahib

which were the worst-hit. However, in another RTI reply, the same police stations admit that FIRs related to murders during riots were registered with them.

Singh said he found out in the RTI reply that 24 cases of killings were registered at Rail Bazar (6), Fazalgunj (9), Armapore (5), and Babupurwa (4) police stations.

“Other riot-hit police stations like Juhi, Kidwai Nagar, Kotwali, Swaroop Nagar, Kakadev, Bidhnu, Anwarganj, Beconganj, Raipurva, Nawabganj, Colonelganj, Bilhaur, Kakvan, Moolganj, Harbansh Mohal, Sisamau and Ghatampur said no cases were registered with them,” he said.

Singh claimed about 2,850 FIRs were lodged after the riot. “The cases were not pursued after majority of victims and their families moved out of Kanpur and settled elsewhere. Still, several members of the victim families were here to tell the story of government’s apathy towards them in the last 35 years,” he said. Singh said he had the list of about 12 main accused of riots and the evidences would be given before the SIT.