Judgment reserved in Hashimpura riots case

A Delhi court on Wednesday reserved judgment in the 27-year-old Hashimpura massacre case.

Top of Form Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal reserved the judgment on conclusion of final arguments by counsel for the survivors and the family members of those murdered in the massacre, and counsel for the accused.

The victims’ counsel submitted that there was enough evidence for the conviction of all the accused personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) for allegedly abducting and killing close to 42 people of a particular community.

The eye-witness accounts of five prosecution witnesses; the evidence of the injuries sustained by one of the police personnel accused in indiscriminate firing inside the truck in which the victims were packed and taken to the Gang Nahar before being shot and thrown into it and the Hindon river in Ghazibad; the washing of the blood-stained vehicle after the incident and plugging of the hole in the truck caused during the firing are credible evidences which pointed to the culpability of the accused in the killings.

The killings had occurred during riots in Meerut and the victims were picked up from Hashimpura Mohalla of the city by police personnel of 41st company of the PAC during a search operation.

There were a total of 19 accused in the case. Some of them passed away during the trial.