1980 Moradabad riot: UP Cabinet to table panel report in House

“The report was placed in the Cabinet after 40 years. It relates to an incident in Moradabad on the morning of August 13, 1980, when Eid namaz was being offered. A one-member commission was formed to look into the incident and those that followed, their facts, reasons and those responsible. We do not know why it was not done in the past. The report would now be tabled in the State Assembly,” said Cabinet Minister Suresh Khanna.

Khanna said the report found one Dr Shami Ahmad Shah and his supporters had prepared a plan to create disturbance in the mosque. “It was found they did this to defame the administration and also put the blame on ‘Valmiki and Punjabi Hindus’ in order to gain support for himself,” he said.

The commission was tasked to ascertain the facts of the August 13, 1980 incident and its aftermath, to find whether the action taken by local officials to control the situation was enough and appropriate, and to fix the responsibility of officials and employees and other people.

A UP government spokesperson said previous governments did not give permission to table the report before the Cabinet and the Assembly. He said the “inquiry report is confidential and contents cannot be shared at present”.

An official said the government came across this report during a special drive that was ordered a few months back to locate all reports that were prepared but not tabled in the state Assembly. “The idea is to give closure to long pending issues,” he said.