Police silent during 1984 riots, serious lapse in duty, says court

New Delhi: The silence of Delhi Police during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a "serious lapse" on its part and it appeared to be "privy" in the incidents of rioting, a court here has said. District and Sessions Judge J R Aryan said that as per the report of Justice G T Nanavati Commission, 341 persons were killed in Delhi Cantonment area here during the riots. In the case relating to it, Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been acquitted.[caption id="attachment_744599" align="alignleft" width="380"] Sikhs protest against the court's ruling on Sajjan Kumar yesterday. Firstpost. [/caption] But, as per the record of Palam Colony police station, "not a single incident of killing was recorded by the police", the court noted. "From the evidence and material available in this case,...these facts and circumstances do suggest that law supervising and enforcing machinery i.e.(Delhi) police maintained complete silence during those two days i.e. November 1 and 2, 1984," the court, in its judgement, said. "Court can take judicial notice of the fact available from Justice Nanavati Commission report that there were as many 341 killings in police station Delhi Cantt. area itself and the present case concerning killing of five persons was in the area of Rajnagar, Palam colony, a part of police station Delhi Cantt. "It has come in evidence from document, the DDR, maintained at police station Palam Colony, that not a single incident of any killing or any property destroyed was recorded by the police," it said. During the arguments, CBI had contended there was a conspiracy of "terrifying proportion" between Kumar and the Delhi Police during the riots. The agency had said the police had kept its "eyes closed" to the widespread violence. The court also agreed with the arguments of CBI that "police appeared to be privy in the incidents of rioting may be by maintaining their status as silent spectator". PTI