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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong> <strong>Bulletin</strong> vYswK 537 April 2005<br />
<strong>The</strong> actions of Badal can be contrasted to those of Tarlochan<br />
Singh (Independent) who last week during Special Mentions<br />
in the Rajya Sabha raised the issue of <strong>Sikh</strong>s killed in false<br />
encounters and called for the Government to review cases<br />
where "innocent persons were behind bars and suffering at<br />
the hands of the police."<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sikh</strong> Federation (UK) has also urged <strong>Sikh</strong>s across the<br />
Punjab to support the Shiromani Khalsa Dal in the Bandhi<br />
Chhor Khalsa march starting on March 23. <strong>The</strong> aim of the<br />
march, which will complete on 24 March at Sri Anandpur<br />
Sahib, is to create awareness of <strong>Sikh</strong>s who remain jailed and<br />
calling for their release.<br />
Anoop Singh can be reached at anoop.singh@panthic.org<br />
*****<br />
NANAVATI SUBMITS REPORT ON 1984 RIOTS<br />
S.S. Negi, Legal Correspondent<br />
New Delhi, February 9, 2005 (Tribune)<br />
Justice G.T. Nanavati Commission set up by the previous<br />
NDA government to probe the 1984 anti-<strong>Sikh</strong> riots afresh,<br />
today submitted its report to the Union Home Minister after<br />
nearly five-year-long proceedings during which he examined<br />
hundreds of witnesses and several Congress leaders against<br />
whom there were allegations of "organising and instigating"<br />
the attacks on <strong>Sikh</strong>s after Indira Gandhi's assassination.<br />
After submitting the two volume report to Home Minister<br />
Shivraj Patil at his North Block office here, Justice Nanavati<br />
refused to say a word about the conclusions drawn by him<br />
about the massacre of nearly 3,000 <strong>Sikh</strong>s in Delhi within four<br />
days after the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31,<br />
1984, by her two <strong>Sikh</strong> security guards. "I am not going to say<br />
a word about the report," he told the media at his Tuglak lane<br />
residence later. "I have submitted my report to the<br />
government, which has to take action on it on the basis of the<br />
recommendations made, or make it public," said Justice<br />
Nanavati, a former Supreme Court judge who headed the<br />
one-man commission, appointed by the NDA government on<br />
May 8, 2000.<br />
Asked whether the people who had high expectations from<br />
him, would be satisfied of his findings, he said "I can't say<br />
anything about it. It is for them to decide." When pressed<br />
further whether he was satisfied about his work and the<br />
conclusions drawn by him, Justice Nanavati said "It is not the<br />
question of my satisfaction... I will speak about it at an<br />
appropriate time but not now." "I had made it clear to the<br />
government that I would not speak to the media about the<br />
report at the time of its submission," he said. He said the first<br />
185-page volume contained the main report and the second<br />
volume consisted of annexures and some other important<br />
documents.<br />
<strong>The</strong> commission had given its findings mainly on four<br />
counts, which was the terms of reference made to it by the<br />
government for probe. Those included (i) to enquire into the<br />
causes criminal violence and riots targeting <strong>Sikh</strong><br />
Community, (ii) the sequence of the events leading to such<br />
violence and whether the riots could have been averted, any<br />
derelication of duty by officers responsible, (iii) to enquire<br />
into the adequacy of administrative measures taken to<br />
prevent and deal with the riots and (iv) recommend<br />
measures which may be adopted to meet the ends of justice.<br />
When his attention was drawn to recent reports in a section<br />
of the media that some Congress leaders had been indicted<br />
and some had been given clean chit, Justice Nanavati said "I<br />
have not spoken to anyone about my findings. <strong>The</strong> hearing<br />
of the commission was open to the media and several<br />
documents filed before it were available to them. If<br />
someone has drawn any conclusion on the basis of those<br />
documents and proceedings, it must be his own views."<br />
<strong>The</strong> prominent Congress leaders examined by the<br />
commission, included former Prime Minister P.V.<br />
Narasimha Rao who was the Home Minister in 1984,<br />
Vasant Sathe, Kamal Nath and three Delhi Congress leaders<br />
Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Dharamdas Shastri<br />
against whom there were allegations of "active involvement<br />
in instigating" the mobs against <strong>Sikh</strong>s. Sajjan Kumar had<br />
faced trial in a case, but was acquitted by the Sessions<br />
Court.<br />
Another Congress strongman from Delhi, H.K.L. Bhagat,<br />
who also faced trial in two cases but acquitted due to the<br />
key witnesses turning hostile, refused to appear before the<br />
commission on health ground.<br />
<strong>The</strong> commission, which was given at least eight extensions<br />
to complete its inquiry, had also examined several top Delhi<br />
Police officers, including Special Commissioner Seva Das,<br />
who was then the DCP, East Delhi, where maximum people<br />
were killed, Joint Commissioner U. K. Katna then DCP<br />
West Delhi, another area of major violence and Goa Police<br />
Commissioner Amodh Kanth, who was then DCP, Central<br />
Delhi. <strong>The</strong> panel had also examined the then Commissioner<br />
of Police S.C. Tandon and Joint Commissioner Gautam<br />
Kaul.<br />
*****<br />
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