A judicial commission report in connection with the 1980 Moradabad riots which was presented after 40 years in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday has completely vindicated the BJP and RSS.
Yesterday, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tabled the 496-page report in the state assembly in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and gave reasons for the delay.
In May, the state cabinet had decided to table the Justice M P Saxena Commission's report in the assembly.
All about the report
Clearing the BJP and RSS of all allegations, the judicial commission report has held a Muslim League leader and his supporters accountable for the 1980 riots which killed 83 people while several others were injured.
Advertisement
The report took names of Muslim League Leader Dr Shamim Ahmed Khan and his supporters after careful analysis of the facts.
According to the report, on the day of Eid, police officers took utmost care and fired at the Eidgah only when there was a threat to the lives of the people living there.
The bullet was fired only in self-defence. Despite this, the rioters spread excitement, it said.
The report also explicitly stated that neither any secret meetings were held by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or any other Hindu outfit nor Harijans (Dalits) were incited to take revenge on the Muslims. In fact, the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party had no hand whatsoever in this, it said.
Advertisement
However, the commission has also clarified that not all Muslims had a hand in organizing the riots.
The report stated that most of the deaths in Idkhana, Bhura Chauraha and Barfkhana (localities) were due to the stampede, for which police officials cannot be held responsible.
A dispute during Eid prayers at Moradabad Eidgah had taken the form of communal riots.
In its report, the commission has also suggested measures to control the riots and said that when there is a riot, correct facts should be informed through loudspeakers dispelling the rumours.
When the 1980 riots took place, there was a Congress government in UP under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh. At the time, Indira Gandhi was the prime minister.
