THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Jamshedpur, Sept 5: Satnam Singh Gambhir, East India President of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), has welcomed the decision of a Kanpur court to reject the bail plea of an accused in the 1984 Sikh riots.
He said the Sikh community had fought a long battle to bring the culprits behind bars and that the world could neither forget nor forgive the heinous crimes committed during the massacre.
The court of Additional District Judge Sudama Prasad dismissed the bail application of 76-year-old Okar Singh alias Omkarnath Shukla, a resident of Kondara village under Mawai police station in Ayodhya.
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Singh, who has been in jail since September 18, 2022, faces charges of vandalism, looting, and the murder of five people during the 1984 riots. Two separate FIRs were lodged against him at Govind Nagar police station, and the SIT had filed a chargesheet against 12 accused, including him.
According to the prosecution, based on a written complaint by Bibi Manjit Kaur, rioters attacked her house in Nagar Mahapalika Colony, Dada Nagar, on November 1, 1984, looted valuables, and set her husband, Bhagat Singh, on fire.
Another complaint by Juginder Singh revealed that his nephew’s family—wife Sheela Rani and sons Daljit Singh and Ravinath Singh—were also killed after their house was looted and set ablaze.
The prosecution, led by Assistant District Government Advocate Pradeep Kumar Sahu, strongly opposed the bail plea, terming the crime “serious and inhuman.” The court rejected the plea accordingly.
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Satnam Singh Gambhir said this verdict has strengthened the community’s faith in justice. “The Sikh community has struggled for decades to bring the guilty to justice. This rejection of bail is a reminder that crimes of such magnitude can never be pardoned,” he remarked.
He further announced that he would soon meet Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to submit a demand letter seeking government jobs for the families affected by the 1984 riots in Jharkhand, on the lines of relief provided in Delhi and Haryana.
