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BEFORE JUSTICE NANAVATI COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ( Witness No : 79 ) Name : Shri S.S. Manan On SA I am, at present posted as ACP (Security), a wing of Delhi Police. In October - November, 84, I was posted as SHO, Pahar Ganj Police Station. I prepared a detailed report regarding the incidents which had taken place within the jurisdiction of my police station. I am tendering the same (It is taken on record and treated as part of the evidence). I also replied to the questions which were submitted to me ( they are taken on record as Annexure – I to his evidence ). I am shown one file ( which is now given exhibit No.W79/1), it contains the report which I had made to the DCP (Central) in respect to the incidents which had taken place on 1.11.84. It also contains papers showing the action taken. It includes copies of the FIRs, the Deployment chart, Daily Diary entries and other relevant papers. I am shown the log book ( which is now taken given exhibit No.W79/2 ), it is of Pahar Ganj Police Station for the period from 22.9.84 to 10.11.84. I am shown one police file (which is now given exhibit No.W79/3), it contains case diaries of FIR No.1336. It also contains statements of witnesses and other papers. I am shown another police file ( which is now given exhibit No.W79/4) relating to FIR No.1333. I am shown one more file ( which is now given exhibit No.W79/5) it is a police file in respect of case FIR No.1334. I am producing the photocopies of FIRs from 1329 to 1350 and 1392 of 1984 (they are taken on record collectively and marked as exhibit No.W79/6). [ Cross deferred ] Read over and found correct ( S.S. MANAN ) ( G.T. NANAVATI ) ( Witness No : 79 ) Name : Shri S.S. Manan On SA Cross examination by Shri H.S. Phoolka, Senior Advocate, on behalf of November ’84 Carnage Justice Committee : In the shop of Sahni Paints four sikhs were burnt alive. The police picket was at Rajguru Road and Main Bazar T point. The Sahni Paints was about two furlongs away from that point. The shop was not visible from that point. The picket was taking static position at that point and was also patrolling. The mob consisted of local as well as outside people. I am not sure whether there was any picket on Desh Bandhu Gupta Road (DBG Road). There was one picket in the Main Bazar. I do not remember whether there was any picket on Chitra Gupta Road. I also do not remember if there was any picket on MM road market also. Sahni Paints is on Rajguru Road. The police station is on DBG Road. Police Station is about a furlong and half away from Sahni Paints. The picket which was on Rajguru Road and Main Bazar road, T-Point was also looking after the Imperial Chowk. The motorcycle patrol was assigned a particular beat. They were not specifically patrolling on Rajguru road. I had a jeep with me. Three or four constables accompanied with me while I used to go for patrolling. One or two constables were probably armed with rifles. At the pickets there were upper subordinates, they were invariably armed but I cannot say with certainty as to how many persons in the pickets were armed. I had taken care to see that as far as possible at least one person was armed in the pickets and others were armed with ‘Dandas’. I do not remember the exact number of pickets. They could have been about 15 to 20 pickets. The weapons were issued according to the proportion of the staff deployed. If the picket is of four persons, two of them were armed and rest with ‘Dandas’ only. This is normally done in abnormal situation. In Normal circumstances only one person will be armed. As far as possible we had taken care to see that two armed persons are in picket. The weapons which were not issued had remained in the Police Station. As far as I remember all the pistols and revolvers were issued to the Upper Subordinates and about half the rifles were issued to the Head Constables and Constables. The remaining weapons had remained in the Mal Khana of the Police Station. Some of the upper subordinates including staff deployed at the pickets were could have been at the pickets and some could have gone for patrolling duty within the area assigned to them. Even Sikh Head Constables and Constables were sent on patrol duty. Depending upon their status, arms must have been issued to them. It is not correct to say that any Sikh police officer or subordinate were kept as reserve in the Police Station. In Main Bazar, SI Pritpal Singh, a sikh, was deployed. Shri Jasvider Singh a sikh was deployed at Main Bazar. Possibly others were also deployed on other pickets, This position was on 31.10.84. After referring to page 10 of [ file exhibit No.W79/1] which is a ‘chittha’ of Police Station Pahar Ganj for the period from 1.11.84 to 5.11.84, I say that various Singhs were also on picket duty but I cannot say that all those Singhs were Sikhs or Hindus. They were about 3 pickets within a radius of 2 furlongs from the shop of Sahni Paints. I had not gone to the shop of Sahni Paints on 1.11.84 as no death inside the shop was reported on that day. On that day not a single death was reported overall. As far as I remember no police party was present near Sahni Paints when that shop was set on fire. I was familiar with the area around the police station and Sahni Paints. After looking at the photograph shown to me ( which is now given exhibit no.W79/7) I cannot say as to which building is on fire. I cannot say with certainty that the photograph which is shown to me is in respect of burning of shop of Sahni Paints. I had demanded additional force. I demanded additional force on 31.10.84 as well as on 1.11.84. No additional force was provided to Police Station Pahar Ganj on 1.11.84. As far as I remember Addl DCP (Central ) Mr. Neeraj Kumar has visited the Pahar Ganj Police Station on 1.11.84. The then Commissioner of Police, Delhi had come to Sardar Thana Road and Motiakhan area. Very probably the Addl DCP had visited the area in the afternoon. I had come to know this through wireless. I had not met him. Mr. Subhash Tandon, who was the Commissioner of Police at that time, had visited Sadar Thane Road, Motiakhan area probably around 12.30 or 1.00 PM. I had met the Commissioner of Police. Commissioner of Police had come on getting information that a mob was trying to attack Gurudwara in Motiakhan. I had also received information regarding collection of mob at that place and therefore I had proceeded to that place. I had not gone to brief him about the situation within my area. I had gone there to deal with the mob and Commissioner of Police was also trying to deal with the mob. Very probably, about 2 platoons of force was with the Commissioner of Police. I had no general discussion about the situation within my area and the need for additional staff. The request for the additional force was being flashed to the District Control Room. The Commissioner of Police possibly remained there for about an hour. I was there for about 2 hours. I do not remember if the Commissioner of Police was inquired about the general situation within the area of my police station. I do not remember if any other senior officer had also come there. The Commissioner of Police was already there when I had reached there. I cannot say why Commissioner of Police had come to that place when violence was at various spots also. The information regarding the mob near Gurudwara was given to me by the wireless operator of the Police Station. The information was that there is some problem at the Sardar Thana Road. I had reached Motiakhan road on Sadar Thana Road and at that point of time I had noticed that there was a big crowd of 5000 – 6000 persons on the road. By the time I reached that place I also received information that there was a firing from the gurudwara at Motiakhan road and crowd was trying to attack the Gurudwara. I cannot say if the Commissioner of Police had received information that firing is being resorted to by the persons, from inside the gurudwara. I had dispersed the mob and had arrested certain persons from the mob. Two Sikhs were also arrested. I cannot say whether they were within the Gurudwara or outside the Gurudwara. Their arms were also seized. Two separate FIRs was also registered in respect of that incident. I had not come to know that anyone was injured as a result of firing from within the gurudwara. As far as I remember the Gurudwara was damaged but not burnt. FIR No.1334 is in respect of the incident which had taken place on Rajguru Road, DBG Road and Chitra Gupta road. Those three persons were arrested from where the crowd was proceeding from Raj Guru Road, DBG Road and Chita Gupta road. They were amongst the crowd which was indulging in looting and arson. In the challan also it is mentioned like that. The record shows they were acquitted. I do not know if any strictures were passed by the court against them. I do not know if any action was taken against anyone on the basis of the judgement delivered in the case initiated on the basis of FIR No.1334 of 1984. I cannot say where are the case files of FIRs other than 1333, 1334 and 1336. I continued as SHO Pahar Gunj Police Station upto the middle of 1985. The case files in respect of FIR registered between 31.10.84 and 5.11.84 were either in the Police Station or had gone to the Courts so long as I was there. One copy of the case diary goes to Vernacular Record Keeper’s office ( VRK) of the District. This office functions under the Prosecution Branch. One copy becomes part of Investigating Officer’s file and the other copy goes to VRK District Office. I cannot say where these copies had gone now. The FIR Number of the incident at Chuna Mandi on 5.11.84 is 1349 . I cannot say whether the Daily Diary register of 1.11.84 contains any entry regarding firing resorted on that day. I say that I had fired 8 rounds on that day and that is mentioned in the FIR No.1335. I cannot say without verifying the Daily Diary register whether there is any entry at all regarding firing on 1.11.84. The victims numbering 112 referred to in my reply to the questionnaire were all subject matter of three FIRs, namely, 1333, 1334 and 1336. Without seeing the case diaries of other cases I cannot say which incidents were covered by the remaining FIRs. Only after verifying I can say whether the three lists which are now given to me mention facts correctly. I will verify and let the Commission know about it. I had not noticed any political leaders leading any of the mob in my area. They were not raising any slogans in favour of the Congress but they were shouting ‘ Indira Gandhi Zindabad’ and they were also shouting slogans against the persons who had killed her. Some persons in the mob were armed with sticks, rods etc. The iron bars were not very long but they were handy. They were not of uniform size but they were of the length of 1 to 2 foot. It is likely that some persons in the mob had carried inflammable liquid like petrol or kerosene. I had not noticed anyone in the mob carrying any inflammable powder. I had visited some places where burning had taken place but I had not visited all the places. When I had visited those places subsequently I was told that kerosene and petrol were used for burning, I was not told that any other substance was used for burning. Read over and found correct ( S.S. MANAN ) ( G.T. NANAVATI )
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