R. Suryamurthy. Tribune News Service, New Delhi, 2 September 2006
A 1984 anti-Sikh riot victim, Nirmal Singh (right), with the
All-India Riot Victims Committee president Kuldip Singh Bhogal at a
Press conference in New Delhi on Saturday.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060903/nation.htm#1
Twenty-two years after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Nirmal Singh, who has
been battling to get a first information report (FIR) registered
against those who allegedly occupied his piece of land with political
nexus, is finally seeing the end of the tunnel.
The Delhi High Court has asked the state government, the Delhi police
and the alleged occupants of the land why an FIR should not be
registered.
Issuing show-cause notices to the alleged occupants — Nawal Kishore,
Manohar Kumar, Gulshan Kumar, Narender Kumar and Kishan Kumar, all sons
of Kacheru Singh — Justice S.N. Aggarwal has directed the authorities
to file a status report by the next hearing on January 30.
Nirmal Singh had purchased two plots measuring 400 sq yrd and 20 sq yrd
both forming part of Khasara No. 139, Seelampur village in Jain Basti,
Dharampura, Gandhi Nagar, Delhi, in 1977.
During the riots, that erupted following the assassination of Indira
Gandhi, Nirmal Singh alleged that a mob with the guidance of local
politicians set his houses, one of which was being used as a factory,
on fire.
Distressed Nirmal Singh left the Capital for Patiala to save his family
and later shifted to Panipat, as they could not succeed in life there.
He alleged that taking advantage of his absence from the place, his
property was occupied — thus began the long battle to regain his land.
Nirmal Singh first complained to the police to register an FIR on
November 1, 1984, which fell on deaf ears. He made another effort to
register the complaint on November 9 next year but to no avail.
He alleged that the occupants of the land intimidated him and also beat
him up.
In 1986, he for the first time represented his case to the Prime
Minister, the Home Minister and the state government.
As it did not produce any result, he continued to make representations
to them and other authorities like the National Human Rights Commission
and the President till the time he filed the petition in the High Court
this year.
He also made representations to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak
Committee and the All-India Riot Victims’ Relief Committee. Even
personal meetings with the President, the Prime Minister and the Home
Minister have not yielded desired results so far.
Finally, his then neighbours, who are still present in the area, came
to his rescue by giving a representation supporting that the land
belonged to Nirmal Singh.
The riot victim, who lost his wife for she could not bear the trauma of
losing the land, now has just one mission in life — to get his land
back. |