M A I N   N E W S

Nanavati panel summons Gujral
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 20
The Nanavati Commission probing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots today issued summons to the former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral and eight others to appear before it as a witness.

Mr Gujral has been summoned to appear as witness on May 16.

The commission has also summoned Union Ministers Ram Vilas Paswan, Sharad Yadav, senior BJP leader, Madan Lal Khurana, noted lawyer, Ram Jethmalani, Kamni Jaiwal, Arya Samaj leader, Swami Agnivesh, Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, Ashok Jaitly and Prof Dinesh Mohan.

They have been summoned to appear as witnesses before the commission next month on different dates.

The summons were issued on an application filed by the November ’84 Carnage Justice Committee. The counsel for the committee, H.S. Phoolka, in the application said, “These persons are very important witnesses who will give account of their efforts and meetings with the government functionaries and also what they actually witnessed on the roads of the Capital.”

The senior counsel said many prominent citizens shocked at the government’s apathy and law enforcing agencies met various high government functionaries, impressed upon them to take effective steps to control the violence.

“However, all their efforts were frustrated and no steps whatsoever were taken to control that violence,” Mr Phoolka submitted.

Meanwhile, deposing before the commission, Mr Mukhtiar Singh, an employee of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, said the police did not come to the rescue of Rakab Ganj Sahib Gurdwara or the people inside the gurdwara complex when a mob attacked the place.

The gurdwara is situated next to Parliament House and is surrounded by residences of MPs and is a high-security zone area.

Mr Mukhtiar Singh, who deposed before the commission, stated that the police opened fire on the gurdwara on the instruction of Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Vasant Sathe.

The DSGMC employee, who is deposing for the first time before any commission said, “Mob came with big force along with some of the Congress leaders, workers etc, out of whom I can recognise some of them who are Congress leaders as Kamal Nath and Vasant Sathe.”

“On the instructions of the said Congress leaders the police fired several rounds at Rakab Ganj Sahib Gurdwara. Till date the said marks of gunshots are still visible at the said Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib,” he informed the commission, which is probing the riots 16 years after the incident.