Five get RI in 1992 riots case

APRIL 13: Additional sessions Judge S B Munde today sentenced five persons to six years rigorous imprisonment for setting a temple on fire and for their involvement in the murder of two police constables during the 1992 communal riots at Govandi.

Mohammed Altaf, Zuber Abdul Hamid, Abdul Ghani Karimuddin, Habib Khan and Mohammed Waris along with 45 others were arrested on December 7 after they burnt the temple in Datta mandir area of Govandi a day after the Babri masjid was demolished in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. During the riot they also killed two constables on duty. While the body of one of the constables Dadasaheb Bhalerao was recovered from the accumulated garbage after a few days, another constable Chandrakant Sawant died on the spot after being assaulted with choppers and knives.

According to the police, a mob of 1,500 to 1,600 persons armed with knives, choppers and iron bars set a temple on fire and attacked the police force who were on bandobast duty and in the process killed two constableson duty. The rest of the accused were acquitted while three persons are absconding.