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POLICE
STATION SULTANPURI SHO:
Inspector
H.R.Bhatti Police Station Sultanpuri mainly covers resettlement colonies
with sizable Sikh population. DEATHS According to Delhi Administration, the number of deaths in PS Sultanpuri was 201 whereas according to the affidavits filed by the Citizens’ Justice Committee the figure would be 379. There is enough evidence to show that dead bodies were being burnt or systematically removed soon after the killings. Even the SHO in his statement at one place has accepted that it was not possible to conduct postmortem on all the bodies because quite a few have been burnt. Since the disposal of most of the dead bodies were done in such a manner, as not to leave any trace, there is no doubt that the deaths in this Police Station might have been more. The claims made are not necessarily the correct picture, as many people ran away not to return. A number of people of West District fled away in fear to Alwar
(Rajasthan) and were too scared of harassment by police and local leaders
that they were reluctant to return to Delhi.
The Delhi Administration had this matter examined in some depth
by the then Deputy Commissioner Shri R.S. Sethi, who after inquiries at
Alwar submitted a detailed report dated 17.12.84 which was passed on to
the then Police. EVENTS
A study of the affidavits and police records indicate that
there was no serious incident of violence in this Police Station on 31.10.84.
However, in the morning of 1st November 1984, a local Member of
Parliament addressed a meeting which was also attended by SHO Inspector
Bhatti and other police officers of Sultanpuri.
In this meeting, the gathering was instigated to take revenge on
the Sikhs. Immediately thereafter,
violence started with full fury.
An attack on the Gurudwara in Budh Vihar was
followed by arson and looting in Blocks A & C.
In Blocks ‘A’, a number of shops belonging to Sikhs were set ablaze. In Block ‘C’, a Gurudwara was set on fire.
In this very incident, an elderly Sikh named Tota Singh was beaten
up by the mob and some witnesses saw SHO Shri Bhatti firing at Tota Singh
with his service revolver. Tota Singh was removed to hospital in a serious condition where
he succumbed to injuries. Violence
spread to other areas and continued unabated also on 2nd and
3rd November 1984. The police subsequently refused to record the FIRs of the victims.
ome Sikhs, who were considered to be influential or could subsequently
create trouble, were isolated and taken to the Thana. FIR' s Despite large number of incidents
of killings, looting and arson, only 2 FIRs were registered – one each
on 1st and 3rd November 1984 respectively.
These are of a general nature.
In FIR No. 250 of1.11.84 even killings have not been
mentioned. The effort
of the local police throughout was to minimize and conceal the incidents
deliberately. |
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