Meerut: The victims of 1987 riots in Maliana in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut have been awaiting justice for the last over three decades. On May 23, 1987, 72 Muslims were allegedly killed during the riots in Maliana village. Locals allege that the rioters along with “drunk” PAC jawans killed the Muslims. Thirty-five years have passed since then, but the sorrow of losing loved ones is clearly visible in the eyes of the people living here.
Several governments have changed in the state since then, but till now no legal action has been taken in the incident. The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had ordered a CBI inquiry into the massacre. However the probe by the CBI has only seen a dead end with the prosecution examining only three out of 35 witnesses in the Meerut court. The laxity of the prosecution can be gauged from the fact that the FIR in this case had suddenly “disappeared”.
ETV Bharat spoke to the families of the riot victims who said they are still waiting for justice. Yameen, a local who lost his father in the riots, recalled that he took refuge in the house of a Harijan family with the rest of the family members and somehow managed to save his life. “The government, at the time, talked about getting justice soon, but till now we are wandering from door to door without justice,” he said.
Mohammad Salim, an eyewitness, said that the victims have been running from pillar to post for years hoping for justice. He said the “drunken PAC jawans along with some people carried out the massacre”. The locals accused the government of non-cooperation. Salim said that an official had told them that the police would investigate the entire incident, but to no avail.
Senior advocate Alauddin Siddiqui, who has been following the case in the court, said that people “are now broken while trusting the law”. Siddiqui said that more than 800 hearings had passed in the case so far. The victims had also approached the High Court in the case. Recently, a senior reporter Kurban Ali has filed a petition in the High Court in this matter. In the writ filed in the Allahabad High Court, it has been demanded that the SIT should investigate the role of the Provincial Armed Police (PAC) in the case.
