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Three killers of sikhs in '84 get life
sentences
WSN Network
NEW DELHI: A court sentenced
three men to life in prison on Thursday for murdering a Sikh
constable, his son and son-in-law during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots
sparked by the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Nearly 3,000 people, mostly Sikhs, were killed in the riots in New
Delhi in retaliation against Gandhi's murder by her Sikh bodyguards.
But there have been few convictions.
Hans Raj Bhardwaj, 62, Ram Prakash Tiwari, 58, and Jagdish Giri, 65
-- all Hindus -- were part of a mob that killed constable Niranjan
Singh and ransacked his house, the court said. They returned a day
later with swords to kill Singh's son and son-in-law in front of his
widow, Harminder Kaur.
"The offenders of such a gory incident deserve no leniency," Y.P.
Singh Ahluwalia, the state prosecutor, argued at the trial court in
New Delhi on Thursday, while pushing for the death penalty.
After the men were sentenced to life, Ahluwalia said the prosecution
would appeal to the high court for the death sentence. Two other men
accused of involvement were acquitted.
Only two other anti-Sikh riot cases have resulted in convictions.
Around 80 cases are pending.The government says nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed in the riots
following her death, while human rights activists say the figure is
closer to 4,000. Activists accuse the ruling Congress party of
having turned a blind eye to the killing of Sikhs and say some of
its leaders helped orchestrate the rioting.
4 April,
2007
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