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3 in jail as Indian court slams government, police for 1984 pogrom
WSN Network

NEW DELHI: Shaming the Indian establishment, and not excluding the law and order and teh justice dispensing mechanisms, a Delhi court awarded life imprisonment to three people for attempting to murder members of a Sikh family here in 1984 anti-Sikh genocide and came down heavily on ‘contrived inaction’ of the police and the government of the day which led to loss of “priceless lives”. 

Indicting the Delhi Police, the court said that “instead of showing their allegiance to the rule of law, our Constitution and the oath taken by them, a better part of their course was found toeing line of their political rulers”. 

Convicts Mangal Sen alias Billa, Brij Mohan Verma and Bhagat Singh, all in their 60s now, were also fined Rs 6.20 lakh by Additional Sessions Judge Surinder S Rathi after being held guilty of attempt to murder, rioting, dacoity in Shastri Nagar, north Delhi. 

The court slammed the Delhi police and the government for its inability to tackle the pogrom that followed the assassination of the then PM Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

“History would never forgive the police officials who were at the helm of affairs and the government of the day for their unprecedented slothful and quiescent role. But for the contrived inaction and sluggish response of Delhi police and the Government of the day, scores of priceless lives and valuable property could have been saved,” the court noted. 

However, even such harsh words of the court did not give a clue as to what action the judiciary may possibly take since in its own view not only were the men involved guilty, but also guilty was the government of the day.  

Court judgements in India like this one do make news for a few candid remarks but nothing moves beyond that. Men and women at the ruling positions have virtually remained untouched despite complete abdication of their duty that led to murders and killings and lootings.

2 September 2009
 

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