A trial court acquitted 16 policemen accused in the Hashimpura massacre case - the killing of 42 Muslim men in Meerut - on Saturday, saying the evidence against them was insufficient. But the survivors and their lawyer say the investigation was shoddy.
The case dates back to 1987, when personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary or the PAC picked up men from the Hashimpura locality during communal riots in the city and allegedly shot them dead.
Senior lawyer Vrinda Grover, counsel for victims, told NDTV, "From the very beginning, there was a deliberate plan to either not collect the crucial pieces of evidence, conceal them or allow them to be lost in the passage of time".
The state CID took over the probe within two days of massacre, but took nine years to file the chargesheet. One of the two original First Information Reports were destroyed. Weapons of the policemen of were not taken into custody by Criminal Investigation Department. Moreover, only low-ranking policemen were named in the chargesheet.
The administration cremated the bodies recovered from canals - had they been buried, they could have been exhumed for further evidence.
There were also judicial delays in the 28-year-long case.
The first witness testimony was recorded in 2006 -- 19 years after the massacre. In the interim, three of the CID investigating officers died and couldn't testify.
Delhi Hospital Shooting: 3 Arrested, Minor Was "Main Shooter": Cops Delhi University Inviting Applications For Certificate Course In Pali/Tibetan Restrictive Statutory Provisions Don't Prevent Bail: Supreme Court 'Entire NEET Paper Solved In 45 Minutes Before Exam?': Top Court To Centre "Had God On My Side": Donald Trump Recounts Being Shot At During Rally 32 Dead In Bangladesh Unrest, Protesters Set Fire To State TV Headquarters Google Brings AI To US Broadcast Of Paris Olympics Video: Children Jump On E-Rickshaw, Chase Foreigners For Money In Delhi "Every Time I Try To Eat Healthy" - Video Creator's Editing Skills Amaze Internet Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.