1984 anti-Sikh riot case: SIT nabs two more accused

The SIT was formed by the Uttar Pradesh government three years ago to re-investigate the cases related to the riots. The arrested accused — Sidh Gopal Gupta alias Babbu (66) and Jitendra Kumar Tiwari alias Raja Babu (58) — are residents of Kidwai Nagar.

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases has arrested two other accused who were allegedly part of a mob that had set a house ablaze during the violence, which had left 127 people dead here. The SIT has so far arrested 13 people in connection with the violence that took place following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in Delhi. The fresh arrests were made on Wednesday in a separate case lodged with the Naubasta police.

The SIT was formed by the Uttar Pradesh government three years ago to re-investigate the cases related to the riots. The arrested accused — Sidh Gopal Gupta alias Babbu (66) and Jitendra Kumar Tiwari alias Raja Babu (58) — are residents of Kidwai Nagar. They were produced before a court, which remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days, said Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Balendu Bhushan Singh, who is heading the SIT.

The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 396 (dacoity with murder) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house), he said. Efforts are on to arrest all 11 absconding people who were named in the FIR, along with those arrested, at the earliest, the DIG added.

The crackdown against the accused started on June 15 after the SIT held four prime accused from Ghatampur, followed by two more arrests on June 21. Just a fortnight ago, the SIT also nabbed five people. The SIT was constituted by the state government on May 27, 2019, on the orders of the Supreme Court. It has been probing the anti-Sikh riots for the last three years and efforts are on to nab more suspects, the DIG told PTI.

The SIT had earlier identified 96 people as prime suspects, of whom 22 have died. The details of about two dozen suspects were gathered and it helped the SIT nab 13 of them, the officer said. The DIG said the arrested duo had accompanied an armed mob to K Block in Kidwai Nagar for attacking the house of Shardul Singh and Gurmukh, who were killed in the attack. (With agency inputs)