New Delhi:
As protests against former MP Sajjan Kumar's acquittal in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case continue, agitators are demanding that a chargesheet prepared by the Delhi Police 21 year ago in another riot case be filed in court.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed in west Delhi's Nangloi area in 1987 in connection with the killing of four Sikhs in the riots. The FIR didn't name Sajjan Kumar initially, but his name was included in the chargesheet made by the police in 1992 after investigation. A year before, another FIR relating to the murder of five Sikhs was lodged in the same area, which named Mr Kumar; but his name was not included in the chargesheet with the police claiming there was not enough evidence against the Congress leader.
However, the police filed only one chargesheet in court. They claimed both cases were related and they had clubbed the two chargesheets into one, which did not name Mr Kumar.
Protesters claim both cases are different and the Delhi Police shielded the Congressman. They have demanded action against Rajiv Ranjan, who was the investigating officer in both the cases and is currently the Deputy Commissioner of Police.
"We demand that the CBI immediately file that chargesheet and action be taken against DCP Rajiv Ranjan who suppressed the chargesheet. Why has he not been suspended," HS Phulka, the victims' lawyer in the 1984 riots cases, said.
In 2010, a session court had said there was no reference to the case in which Mr Kumar was named in the chargesheet, and as per judicial records the two chargesheets were never clubbed.
Police sources say both chargesheets were clubbed but the magistrate overlooked the first case and the police realised this only when the matter went to the sessions court 18 years later. The sources added Mr Kumar's name was dropped from the chargesheet because the statement of the main witness in the case was unreliable.
The protesters have alleged that the Delhi Police were complicit during the riots and later attempted to shield Congress leaders like Mr Kumar and Jagdish Tytler during their investigation. At least 72 police officers had been identified for connivance and gross negligence and 30 were recommended to be sacked. However, no action has been taken against any of them yet.