By TCN News,
New Delhi: The acquittal of all the accused in the Hashimpura massacre case of May 22, 1987, is a travesty of justice, All India People’s Forum (AIPF) said in a statement.
28 years ago, 42 Muslims, mostly young men, were killed in cold blood by the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) after having been abducted from Mohalla Hashimpura. This is one of the most shameful episodes of communal custodial killing in India, AIPF said.
“The killings reflected the communalized atmosphere following the opening of the locks of the Babri Masjid by the Rajiv Gandhi Government at the Centre. Uttar Pradesh too was then ruled by the Congress party. Subsequent Governments of Uttar Pradesh ruled by SP and BSP too failed to show interest in securing compensation or justice for the victims,” AIPF statement read.
The CB-CID report of the UP government (1994) had indicted these very accused in its departmental enquiry and found them guilty, but the then State government did not even take any departmental action against these accused.
The fact that the trial process dragged on for 28 years, ending in an acquittal of all the accused, reflects a shameful failure of India’s criminal justice system, AIPF added.
The AIPF has demanded that the acquittal be challenged by the appropriate government so that the injustice can be undone.
The statement on behalf AIPF was issued by ND Pancholi, Kavita Krishnan, Gautam Mody and Rohit Azad.