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Finally, A Ray Of Hope For ’84 Riot Victim
HC notice on alleged illegal occupation of land

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.

   
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