CPI(ML)-New Democracy expresses its grave concern at the acquittal by the Sessions Court of all accused of the cold blooded killings of 42 Muslims of Hashimpura (Meerut) on May 22, 1987 by UP Provincial Armed Constabulary. This verdict, 28 years after, has clearly demonstrated the deep communalism seeping through different wings of the state. It is not mere miscarriage of justice but systematic annihilation of justice to the minorities, particularly Muslims. The way the killings were carried out, the way the case was dealt, the way prosecution was conducted and the judgement itself brought into sharp focus the utter contempt of rule of law and justice to the citizens of minority community.
These cold blooded killings were carried out by the PAC on the orders of Union Home Ministry which ordered that “lesson should be taught” to the Muslims protesting against opening of locks of the then Babri Masjid in April 1987. This was the period when Congress, then ruling both at the Centre and in UP, was unleashing Hindu communal frenzy to garner votes of majority community. The then Union Minister of State for Home is reported to have ordered “crush them”. Every protest by Muslims against the communal act of opening the locks of Babri Masjid was converted into “riots” with indiscriminate police attacks on the protesting Muslims. Muslims were rounded up from Hashimpura locality from outside the Mosque, taken to Muradnagar Ganga canal and some killed in cold blood. The rest were taken to Makanpur on Hindon river and shot dead leaving the bodies there. Some pretended to be dead to tell of this horrific crime by the state agencies.
The whole handling of this crime clearly brings out the deep conspiracy to shield the perpetrators who were carrying out the “orders”. Among the accused names of many of the real perpetrators were not included. The PAC truck in which the victims were carried and many killed was cleaned. The investigation was more of a cover up. The case lingered and it was transferred by the Supreme Court to a Delhi Court. Many of the witnesses had died over the long duration of the trial, those surviving were shown the accused in helmets precluding identification. The whole trial is a saga of travesty of justice to send a clear message that minorities should not expect justice in this country. The delivery of the verdict was the final nail in the coffin of Justice.
Hashimpura verdict brings out in bold relief that communal killings involving the ruling dispensation and state agencies never result in getting justice. Justice is yet to be done in the genocide of Sikhs in Delhi and other cities even 31 years after. Victims of anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 and the victims of similar violence in Mumbai in 1992 are yet to get justice while the perpetrators of these killings have enjoyed and continue to enjoy power. There are a number of such mayhems in different parts of the country. The records are doctored to exonerate the real culprits who continue to remain in the position of doctoring the evidence and threatening the witnesses. Such verdicts are part of a systemic failure. A number of enquiries at that time had brought out the horrific nature of crime but the verdict has whitewashed the crime.
CPI(ML)-New Democracy calls upon all the justice loving and secular forces and individuals to strongly protest against this verdict and demand that guilty be brought to book. A powerful movement should be built so that victims of these custodial killings get justice and perpetrators of this crime are punished. CPI(ML)-New Democracy Central Committee calls upon all party committees to take initiative to organize programmes and mobilize the people for securing justice to victims of Hashimpura.
Central Committee
CPI(ML)-New Democracy
March 27, 2015