Cops look for Congress leader’s nephew in anti-Sikh riots case: What happened in Kanpur in 1984

After the violence, many Sikh families living in Kanpur fled the city, never to return.

What do survivors who returned to Kanpur say?

While not many want to speak about the violence, Harmohindar Kaur (75) had spoken to The Indian Express in July last year, giving details of what happened to her family. The mob had killed Kaur’s husband Bhagat Singh, who was 35 at the time, and her 32-year-old brother-in-law Harbans Singh.

Kaur said that on November 1, 1984, a mob surrounded her bungalow in Kanpur’s Sharda Nagar — which housed 20 members of the family, including nine children — shouting “kill the sardars”. Kaur retired as a lecturer from Guru Nanak Degree College in Kanpur’s Sundar Nagar 10 years ago. The family received compensation twice — Rs 20,000 in 1984 and then Rs 5 lakh in 2004. In 1993, the family got a 200sqm plot for Rs 1.5 lakh at subsidised rates. Kaur, however, regrets not remembering the faces of those involved in the violence.

When was an SIT constituted to probe the cases?

The Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath in 2019 constituted a Special Investigative Team (SIT) to probe all the 1,251 cases linked to the anti-Sikh riots in Kanpur — the first such action, 35 years after the riots. The SIT shortlisted 40 cases out of the 1,251 that were of a “serious” nature, of which the police filed chargesheets in 11 and submitted closure reports in the remaining 29, citing lack of evidence.

The SIT had sent a recommendation to the state government to file appeals against acquittal in four cases.

What challenges did the SIT face during the investigation?

The four-member SIT was headed by former Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police Atul, with district judge (retired) Subhash Chandra Agarwal; additional DG, prosecution, (retired) Yogeshwar Krishna Srivastava; and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Balendu Bhushan as members.

An officer part of the SIT said most people who lost family members fled and never came back. Some of the accused had died in the 35 years, while most others were old and unable to move because of age. Out of the 96 accused identified by the SIT, 73 are alive.

How many have been arrested so far and who are they?

The first arrest was made in June 2022, and the SIT has so far arrested 43 people. The SIT has filed chargesheets against more than 40 people in the 11 cases, involving the death of more than 60 persons.

The 40 have been booked under IPC sections including 302 (murder), 396 (dacoity with murder) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc).

The arrests were made on the basis of evidence including statements of eyewitnesses, victims, and their families.

Most of the arrested accused are aged over 60. Some have been identified as Rajan Lal Pandey (85), Deepak (70), Dheerendra Kumar Tewari (70), Sidh Gopal Gupta alias Baboo (66), Yogesh Sharma (65), Jaswant (68), Ramesh Chandra Dixit (62), Ravi Shankar Mishra (76), Safiullah (64), and Abdul Rehman (65).

Dhirendra Kumar Tiwari (70) died a month after his arrest, in August 2020.

What is the case in which Raghvendra Khushwaha has been accused?

Police have “found the involvement of Raghvendra Kushwaha” in a triple murder case in Kidwai Nagar. An officer said the victims were killed and their bodies set ablaze.

Besides Raghvendra, there are around 17 other accused in the case. Three witnesses in their statement recorded before a magistrate have confirmed the identification of the accused, including Raghvendra. The SIT said it found that Raghvendra, an influential person in Kanpur, had led the mob.

Who is probing the cases now?

The SIT was dissolved in March this year on directives of the state government. The Kanpur Police is probing the cases.