1984 riots: Scuffle at Delhi court premises after BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa slaps convict

A scuffle broke out inside the premises of Delhi's Patiala House Court on Thursday after BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa slapped a 1984 riots case convict. 

The incident took place when the two convicts --Naresh Sherawat and Yashpal Singh-- were being taken to the lock-up inside the court premises after the proceedings. Sirsa slapped Yashpal Singh, while slogans were raised against both the convicts. However, the police separated Sirsa, his supporters and the convicts.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Sirsa cited the reason as killings of innocent people in the 1984 riots. "They killed innocent people in 1984. Still, they are roaming around like goons. They were raising slogans that they will make us remember 1984 riots," said Sirsa.

The SIT sought the death penalty for the two persons convicted by the court, saying that it was part of a "genocide" against members of a particular community and fell under the rarest of rare category of cases warranting the capital punishment.

Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey reserved for November 20 the order on the quantum of punishment to be awarded to Naresh Sherawat and Yashpal Singh for killing Hardev Singh and Avtar Singh in Mahipalpur area of South Delhi during the riots.

It was the first conviction in the cases reopened by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up in 2015. Delhi police had closed the case in 1994 for want of evidence. However, a SIT on the riots reopened it.

The SIT demand was opposed by the counsel appearing for the convicts who sought life imprisonment for his clients, the minimum for the offence of murder.

The court on Wednesday had convicted the two accused -- the first conviction in the cases reopened by the SIT. The court held both the accused guilty under various sections including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 395 (dacoity) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC.

Of the 650 cases registered in connection with the riots in Delhi, 267 were closed as untraced by the Delhi Police. Of these 267 cases, five were later taken up by the CBI. The SIT also scrutinised the records of 18 cancelled cases.

The SIT found 60 cases appropriate for further investigation. It filed "untraced report" in 52 cases in the last one-and-a-half years.

Out of the eight cases being investigated, charge sheets have been filed in five and three, in which senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar is an accused, are pending investigation.