UP: SIT arrests two more in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

The Special Investigation Team was formed three years ago to re-investigate the cases related to 1984 riots.

Kanpur: A special investigation team probing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Kanpur arrested two more persons for mass killings and setting a house ablaze, in which three people were charred to death, a senior official said on Tuesday. The accused identified as Siddh Gopal Gupta resident of Kidwai Nagar and Vipin Kumar Tiwari of Yashoda Nagar, were arrested late Tuesday night, DIG Balendu Bhushan Singh of the SIT said. Singh said that sufficient evidence has been found against the accused.

It is pertinent to mention that the SIT on June 21, made two arrests from Ghatampur in the case. The SIT was formed by the Uttar Pradesh government three years ago to re-investigate the cases related to the riots, which had claimed 127 lives in Kanpur. The riots followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

The SIT earlier had identified 96 people as prime suspects, of which 22 have died. Complete information about 11 suspects was gathered and it helped the SIT to nab six of them so far. The accused had accompanied dozens of others in a couple of buses to reach Nirala Nagar for setting the house of one Gurudyal Singh on fire in 1984.

There were 12 families residing at Gurudyal's house as tenants and during the attack, three people were burnt alive. A rioter, identified as Rajesh Gupta, was also shot dead during cross-firing.