First Death Sentence In 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case, One Life Term
NEW DELHI, Nov 20: One of the two attackers convicted of killing two men during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 has been sentenced to death by a Delhi court. The other convict will spend life in prison, the court said today.
Naresh Sherawat, 68, and 55-year-old Yashpal Singh were convicted of killing the two men in south Delhi's Mahipalpur. They have also been fined Rs. 35 lakh each.
Yashpal Singh's sentence makes it the first death punishment in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Sherawat, the second person to get life imprisonment in 34 years, worked at the Mahipalpur post office and Yashpal Singh was a transporter.
The verdict has given "Sikhs a ray of hope", said Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also welcomed the first conviction by a Delhi court in the 1984 riots case. "Justice has finally been meted out to the perpetrators of the heinous crimes. Hope the others involved in the attacks are also soon brought to book for their horrendous and inhuman acts," Captain Singh tweeted.
On November 1, 1984, Hardev Singh and two others were at their grocery shops in Mahipalpur when a mob of 800-1,000 armed with iron rods, hockey sticks, stones, kerosene oil attacked them and set their shops on fire.
They rushed to their friend Surjit Singh's home and locked themselves inside. They were later joined by Avtar Singh. The mob followed them to the house, stabbed Hardev and threw all them from the balcony. The injured were shifted to Safdarjung Hospital where Avtar Singh and Hardev Singh died.
The Delhi Police had closed the case in 1994 for lack of evidence.
The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team, formed in 2015, probed the 60 cases it had reopened out of the total 293, and succeeded in getting conviction in the first case last week.
It has filed "untraced report" in 52 cases and of the eight cases being investigated, charge-sheets have been filed in five while the rest, in which senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar is an accused, are pending investigation.
Both the men were arrested after the court held them guilty of murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and voluntarily causing hurt.
The official records say that over 2,800 Sikhs were killed across India after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguard. The violence across the country, but mostly in Delhi, saw women being raped and people dragged out of their homes to be burnt alive.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Cong high command, CM to decide on K'taka Cabinet reshuffle: Minister Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said any decision regarding the cabinet reshuffle rests solely with the Congress high command and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
His remarks come as several party legislators step up their demands for a ministerial role.
Defending the MLAs' right to express their desires, the minister said, "It is natural to have aspirations and there is nothing wrong in seeking a minister post. What is wrong in them (MLAs) asking for an opportunity? Whether to give or not is upto the high command to decide... it is the Chief Minister's discretion..."
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said the high command will look into these things and decide what needs to be done.
A group of senior Congress legislators, who have served as MLAs for over three terms, called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, urging him to rejig the cabinet and give them an opportunity to serve as Ministers.
The group of about 40 legislators has planned to travel to New Delhi on April 11 after the by-polls, to meet the Congress high command and discuss the induction of at least 20 of them during the reshuffle.
Some first and second-time legislators have also recently pressed for a cabinet reshuffle.
Amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress with speculations about CM change that has intensified after the government completed half way mark in November, a section of Congress MLAs has been pushing for a cabinet rejig for some time, with several aspirants openly expressing their wish to be inducted.
Karnataka has a sanctioned strength of 34 ministers, including the chief minister. Two cabinet berths are currently vacant — following the resignation of B Nagendra over allegations of embezzlement at the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation, and the sacking of K N Rajanna from the cabinet on the instructions of the party high command.
Asked whether the Congress faced difficulty in finalising candidates for the April 9 by-polls to Bagalkot and Davangere South Assembly segments, Parameshwara said there was no difficulty, and that the party is evaluating candidates in both constituencies, based on winnability as a criterion.
"The Davangere seat was earlier represented by Shamanur Shivashankarappa, so naturally there is demand for the ticket for his family, also as the minority community population is higher in that segment they too are asking for the ticket. Ultimately, the party will decide. In Bagalkote too, there is a demand that tickets be given to the late MLA Meti's son; there are also other aspirants there seeking tickets. The party will decide," he said.
Based on reports from the local workers about winnability, the party will decide on the candidates, he added.
Bypolls for the Bagalkote and Davanagere South assembly constituencies have been necessitated following the deaths of sitting Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
To a question regarding AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala's visit to the state, the Home Minister said he is most likely here for discussions regarding the by-polls, and there may also be other matters.
"AICC General Secretary may have come with certain mandates."
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