Amid the rising debate around following the execution of Mumbai serial blast convict Yakub Memon, whether justice has been selective and continues to remain elusive for those who were murdered during the ’92 Mumbai riots.
“State Didn’t Prosecute Mumbai Riot Accused With Same Zeal as Yakub Memon”, said Justice BN Srikrishna.
Justice B M Srikrishna, who headed the one-man commission that inquired into the 93 Mumbai riots, said that the state had been “remiss” and had opted not to investigate even cases where serious prima facie evidence existed.
Justice Sri krishna, whose report was especially critical of role played by Shiv Sena and its chief Bal Thackrey in Mumbai riots, told a leading news channel that “Those who wielded power” had shown an evident bias in not probing the riot cases in which 900 people killed with the same energy as they had shown in convicting those responsible for the blasts in which 257 people were killed.
The Srikrishna Commission was set up by the Maharashtra government to investigate incidents of widespread rioting from December 6 to 10, 1992 and January 6 to 20, 1993 and damage and loss to the city during that period. One of the terms of reference for the commission was to see if the riots and the blasts were connected. The riots left 900 dead.
In his inquiry report, Justice Srikrishna concluded that there was one: “One common link between the riots of December 1992 and January 1993 and bomb blasts of 12th March 1993 appears to be that the former appear to have been a causative factor for the latter.
“I can only wish that there would one day be justice for 1992 riots as well,” said, Justice SriKrishna.
“The riots happened on the watch of the Congress-NCP government. No party has made an effort to take action on the findings of commission”, said Krishna.