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12 years after Sohrabuddin encounter, all 22 accused acquitted

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Sohrabuddin encounter case timeline

Nasheman News : Twelve years after the sensational killing of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his associate Tulsiram Prajapati and rape-cum-murder of Kausar Bi, a Special CBI Court here on Friday acquitted all 22 accused in the politically sensitive case, saying “witnesses and proofs were not satisfactory”.

“Witnesses and proofs the prosecution put forward were not satisfactory to suggest or establish the alleged conspiracy and murder in the 2005 encounter killing,” said Special CBI Judge S.J. Sharma, who also observed that “the documentary and circumstantial evidence was not substantial”.

The much-awaited verdict in the case came more than 12 years after the alleged ‘fake encounters’ of Sohrabuddin and his associate Prajapati, besides the rape-and-murder of Sohrabuddin’s wife, Kausar Bi.

The 22 accused, including 21 lower police officials of Gujarat-Rajasthan police, who have been acquitted are: M.L. Parmar, Raman Singh, Narayansing Dhabi, Shyam Singh, Abdur Rehman, Himanshu Singh Rajawat, Balkrishna Choubey, Rajubhai Jeerawala, Ajay Parmar, Shantram Sharma, Yudhveer Singh, Kartar Singh, Narayan Singh Jat, Vijaykumar Rathod, C.P. Srinivasa Rao, Jethu Solanki, Kiran Singh Chauhan, Vinod Limbachia, Kanjibhai Kutchi, Karan Singh Sishodia, Ashish Pandya, and Naresh Chauhan.

According to the prosecution, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had gunned down Sohrabuddin on November 26, 2005, in an alleged staged killing. 

Prajapati was also killed in a similar fashion on December 28, 2006, while Kausar Bi, who had witnessed the abduction of her husband (Sohrabuddin) was later raped and murdered.

These killings kicked off a major political controversy in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Gujarat then, with allegations of the purported involvement of several top political bigwigs, IPS officers and other officials.

The prosecution contended that Sohrabuddin had connections with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror groups and was conspiring to assassinate “an important political leader” presumably the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is now the Prime Minister.

A total of 37 accused were named in the case of whom 16 — mostly politicians and IPS officers — were subsequently discharged by the Special CBI Court in Mumbai and another by the Bombay High Court.

Among those discharged initially were BJP President Amit Shah, who was the Gujarat Home Minister at the relevant time, the then Rajasthan Home Minister G.C. Kataria, high-profile ATS chief and DIG D.G. Vanzara, Superintendents of Police M.N. Dinesh and R.K. Pandian, among many others.

Interestingly, after appeals from various quarters, the politically-sensitive trial was shifted from Gujarat to Mumbai by the Supreme Court in September 2012.

When the Special CBI Court recorded the statements of the remaining 22 accused during the trial, all claimed “innocence” and said they were nabbed owing to rivalry among the Gujarat top police brass and related factors stemming from the then political situation prevalent in that state.

Of the 210 witnesses examined during the trial, 92 turned hostile, seriously undermining the CBI case, prompting the CBI counsel B.P. Raju to admit to ‘lacunae’ in the probe as the Sohrabuddin encounter took place in 2005, Prajapati in 2006, but CBI came into the picture only in 2010.

Kumarswamy waiting for approval from congress High command

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 Nasheman News : Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday, December 20 said that he was waiting for a message from his coalition partner, the Congress party, to write to the Governor about carrying out the exercise.

“I’m yet to receive message from Delhi (Congress high command),” Kumaraswamy said in response to a question about writing a letter to the governor for the cabinet expansion exercise.

Addressing presspersons here, he said “Soon after our senior coalition partner (Congress) gives us the message, I will write to the governor.” 

Seeking to contain simmering discontent within the party over cabinet expansion, the Congress on Tuesday had said the Congress-JD(S) coalition ministry would be expanded on December 22 as announced earlier.

Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, Pradesh Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara left for Delhi this evening to meet the Congress high command, including general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal, to discuss the expansion and the probable names.

According to sources, they are expected to meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the visit. However, reports suggest that Gandhi was in Shimla on a personal visit.

Asked whether the cabinet expansion would take place on December 22, the Chief Minister said, “please ask Congress party.” 

“There are no issues with us (JDS)… we are ready for it. They (Congress leaders) too have gone to Delhi with an intention to expand the cabinet.” 

Dinesh Gundi Rao on Tuesday, December q8 had indicated that it may be cabinet expansion or reshuffle or both may happen on December 22, creating worry among several ministers about being dropped from the ministry.

Kumaraswamy, on his part, did not spell out anything clearly to a question, whether it will be cabinet reshuffle on Saturday.

Pointing out that the Congress was the major party in the coalition, Kumaraswamy said, whatever they decide,” accordingly we will carry out the exercise.” 

“There is no problem within our party (JDS), we are all united…..the vacant posts that are there we will fill them, we are ready, there are no issues within us,” he added. With the cabinet expansion exercise being postponed repeatedly, several aspirants, especially those from the Congress, had openly expressed their displeasure.

Despite repeated reiteration by Congress leaders that the expansion will take place on the scheduled date, party MLAs are sceptical about it happening till the Lok Sabha polls early next year. Some of them have also cited the current “Shoonya Masa” that is considered inauspicious month, as the reason.

According to the pact reached between the two partners at the time of formation of the coalition government in May, there are now six vacant ministerial positions left for the Congress and two for the JD(S).

This will be the second expansion of the Kumaraswamy’s ministry, who currently heads the 26-member cabinet.

Along with cabinet expansion, the coalition partners are also likely to appoint MLAs as heads to boards and corporations, and as parliamentary secretaries to Ministers on December 22.

Bidi smoking costs India over Rs 80k crore every year: Study

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Nasheman News : Bidi smoking costs India over Rs 80,000 crore in ill health and early deaths every year which is equivalent to 0.5 per cent of the goods and services (GDP) the country produces and more than two per cent of its total health spend, says a study.

Direct costs – tests, drugs, doctors’ fees, hospital stays, and transport – make up around a fifth of this total with the remainder made up of indirect costs – accommodation for relatives/carers and loss of household income, showed the findings published in the journal Tobacco Control.

The findings, based on National Sample Survey data on healthcare expenditures, data on bidi smoking prevalence from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey and relative risks of all-cause mortality from bidi smoking, were for the year 2017.

However, the tax revenue derived from bidi smoking came to just Rs 4.17 billion in 2016-17, said the study. 

Nearly one in five households in India faces “catastrophic expenditures” due to healthcare costs, with more than 63 million people pushed into poverty, as a result, said study author Rijo M John from Centre for Public Policy Research in Kochi, Kerala.

“Diseases associated with bidi smoking add to this, potentially pushing more people into poverty,” he said, suggesting that about 15 million face poverty because of spending on tobacco and associated health costs.

The findings suggest that unhindered use of bidi smoking could push more households into poverty.

“Expenditure on tobacco also crowds out expenditure on food and education in India, especially among the poor,” he added.

Bidi is very popular in India, accounting for over 80 per cent of the tobacco smoked and 72 million regular users over the age of 15.

Although bidi contains less tobacco than conventional cigarettes, the nicotine content is significantly higher. 

And the relatively low burn point forces smokers to breathe in more of the harmful chemicals produced.

Bidi smoking is implicated in several types of cancer, tuberculosis, and various long term lung conditions. 

But despite its impact on the nation’s health, it has been taxed at a rate that is a fraction of that applied to cigarettes, John said.


Jharkhand Monk Arrested for Rape Attempt

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Jamshedpur: An ascetic, associated with a charitable organization, has been arrested for rape attempt on a minor girl in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district, a senior police officer said.

The 15-year-old girl, in her complaint, alleged misconduct on the part of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS) monk on December 18, he said. She, however, did not give details on the matter, the officer said.

The teenager had recently come here from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh with her brother and sister in-law, Deputy Superintendent of Police Arvind Kumar noted.

The girl had put up at BSS’s Sonari complex with her relatives for 10 days before moving to a rented accommodation at nearby Kalganagar area. In her complaint, she said she had gone to the complex to visit a temple there, he noted. Her brother said that she was rescued from the monk’s bathroom.

The complainant’s brother told police that the girl went missing for several hours on Wednesday. He and his wife then reportedly visited the premises of the BSS and found the girl in the monk’s bathroom, Kumar said quoting the FIR. The accused has been arrested and the girl sent for medical check-up, the deputy SP said.

“We have arrested the accused monk based on the complaint. More details will be available in the case once the medical report arrives,” he said, adding that the Child Welfare Committee, East Singhbum, has also recorded the girl’s statement in connection with the case

PTI

BANGALORE ARCHBISHOP CALLS ON PRIESTS TO LISTEN MORE TO THE POOR

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Bangalore, December 19th: At the Annual Priests’ Christmas Fellowship hosted by the Archbishop, Archbishop Rev. Peter Machado, addressing a gathering of over 200 priests reaffirmed “our need to hear the  voice of the poor and feel their pain in our hearts”.  He also spoke on many public platforms earlier that “our love for the poor and less-privileged and marginalized and the voiceless will bring us to receive God’s blessings”  No poor should be left out from feeling that they are not loved by God, he added.

At a large gathering of priests on 19th December at the Archbishops House in the week preceding Christmas the newly appointed Archbishop of Bangalore after a session of prayer for people of all religions, said “Christmas is always a time to re-focus our attention who are less privileged”. He reiterated that people of all Religions, with a heart filled will love, will “share, care and comfort those who need to feel they are not discounted by God”. 

At the Annual prayer and fellowship gathering of priests on 19th December at the Archbishop’s House he called for greater concern for those who became homeless and lost because of Natural calamities.  He contemplated measures of how we can rehabilitate ‘as much as we can’ to help those in distress.

  The Prelate has repeatedly called for avoiding lavish spending on religious celebrations and saving money for the poor instead.

In his Christmas message, Archbishop Peter Machado said ‘ Jesus Christ was born among the poor and helpless in a stable in Bethlehem’ indicative that He chose to identify with the poor.

Archbishop Peter Machado is the new Archbishop of Bangalore since May 31st 2018. The Archbishop Released the Annual Report of the activities of the Bangalore Multi-purpose Social Society (BMSSS) on the various social out-reach activities done. Its present Director is Fr, Navin who co-ordinates activities under the aegis of the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese has already raised over a crore for flood victims at Kodagu and looks forward to continue to rehabilitate victims, especially the homeless with the generosity of donors. At a recent meeting, he mentioned ‘in times of calamity and suffering we must not see religion as a barrier to help’ . He personally visited Kodagu victims shortly after the disaster.

Pailwan Showcases Sudeep In A Totally New Avatar

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An Interview With Kannada Star – Actor Sudeep

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Pailwan, starring Sudeep, the biggest star from Sandalwood to make his mark in varied film industries across India, is one of the most awaited films in Kannada. It is the 3rd film to be directed by cinematographer-turned-director S Krishna. Ever since its launch a few months ago, the film is in the news for one or the other reason. Sudeep the superstar of the film explains why Pailwan is a very special film for him. 

*After 2 decades as an actor, you started going to the gym for the 1st time ever for Pailwan. What made you to become so serious? 

*You see as an actor, you always try to find variety in the roles you do. In the end, we actors are all entertainers. An actor will never reach a peak just like that. You are constantly trying to reach newer heights. That said, you cannot sell whatever you do to the audiences. The fact is that I do not show muscle on screen has lingered in my mind for some time. Then this script came along. Whether you like it or not, this kind of scripts motivates you. As the Pailwan script began to take shape, I realized that I needed to give more. When you are making a sports film, I should not be taking it lightly. I immediately joined the gym. Even before that I had a trainer who would come every day & I would have 10 reason every day to avoid him. The 2nd reason was Kabir Duhan Singh. 6 months before I started with the film, I saw his photo on Twitter. It psyched me. The way he has done up his body. In the film, I will be in the same frame as Kabir. Both of us in our bare bodies! Forget how we look in the film, but what will the technicians and others on the sets think of me when they see me next to Kabir? That scared me. It was the question of my self-esteem. I did not want to become a joke in front of anybody. 50% of the credit therefore goes to Kabir. His dedication to his body motivated me. 

*How did you prepare yourself in terms of your body for this particular role?

*For the last 8 months, I have never cheated. Be it diet or workout. Even after the shooting for the fight scenes are complete, I have not stopped. Before this, I used to sleep at 2 am or even 4 am. But after I started training, I started waking up at 4 am. Even when I was shooting in Hyderabad, I would leave home at 4.30 am & spend time till 6.30 am in the gym. I would be ready for shooting at 7 am. After shooting, I would start swimming at 5.30 pm & go promptly to sleep at 9 pm. On weekends, when I shoot for Bigg Boss, I get sleep at 9 pm now. I have followed this routine for nearly 4 months. The actual training for the body started 8 months ago. 

*From budget to scale, Pailwan is reaching new heights.

*When you have a good story to tell, you cannot hesitate on the budget. It is not because we have money that we are spending. Krishna & Swapna have been very honest in their work & whatever they are spending is for the betterment of the film. It is not just to showcase the expenditure but to show what was required. Everything is shot on the sets. The honesty towards the script will show. Yes there was a calculation of how much the film would cost. But calculation alone will not make a film. The business today helps us make such a film. We are getting so many offers from people who have just seen the sets. It shows we have not compromised. Making a big-budget film was not the idea. We set out on a dream & every one of us is walking that dream. We have so far had 90 days of shooting & not a single day of that was unplanned. Every morning when I wake up for this film it excites me a lot. That has been the case every single day. 

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*Dubbing for a film in 8 to 9 languages is a first for any Indian film. How did this happen?

*I always wanted to reach out in varied languages. By God’s grace I am known in the other markets. But I did not get to utilize it in my previous films. There were 1 or 2 failed plans. But here I got a very good platform & everyone agreed. It should have happened much earlier. But better late than never! Every single work, every single musical note in this film has been planned to cater to an all-India market. 

*But the film will not see a theatrical release in Hindi. Right?

*We are looking at much more specific markets. My films have been dubbed in Hindi for a long time. But a theatrical release in Marathi makes more sense. And so it is with Bhojpuri & Bengali languages. There will be Tamil, Telugu & Malayalam versions too. There is a culture of “kusti” in every region & culture that we are trying to reach out to. I have friends in these industries who are helping me. Ravi Kishan in Bhojpuri & Riteish Deshmukh in Marathi are setting it all up for me. 

*It seems that you forced S Krishna to get Suniel Shetty for the Kannada version. Is it true? *Yes! Indeed. Suniel Shetty is from here & it was his lifetime dream to act in a Kannada film. We are so proud that it is through this film. He is one of the biggest stars of his time. Anna has a beautiful role in the film. His character is called Sarkar & anyone will be impressed with what he has done. He was such a motivation on the sets. He would be ready on the sets at 7 am with makeup. He has raised the magnitude of the film. I saw an advertisement of his with the salt & pepper look. From that moment, I was behind S Krishna to get Anna for this film.

Tharoor, Sudha Murthy, Bond, Soha Ali Khan conferred Crossword Book Awards

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Nasheman News : Celebrity writer Shashi Tharoor was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award while Ruskin Bond, Sudha Murthy and Soha Ali Khan were among those who were honoured at the 16th Crossword Book Awards, an organizer said here on Friday.

Prolific author and politician Tharoor, a Commonwealth Writers Prize winner was conferred the award his “exemplary contribution to Indian writing in English” by Lord Meghnad Desai at a function here late Thursday night.

The prominent awardees in the popular category were: Sudha Murthy for “Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives” (non-fiction); Durjoy Datta, for “The Boy Who Loved” (fiction); Soha Ali Khan for “The Perils of Being Moderately Famous”; Ruskin Bond for “Looking for the Rainbow: My Years with Daddy”; Chandramouli Venkatesan for “Catalyst”; and Sarita Davarre & Sanjeev Kapoor for “You’ve Lost Weight: The Easy Guide to Receiving This Compliment Everyday.”

The winners in the jury category were: Prayaag Akbar for “Leila” (fiction); Snigdha Poonam for “Dreamers” (non-fiction); Nandhika Nambi for the children’s book “Unbroken”; and Shahnaz Habib for translation of “Jasmine Days” by Benyamin (born Benny Daniel), a Kerala-based author.

The event at the Royal Opera House saw a celebrity dialogue on #ReadingIsGood, between author-actress Soha Ali Khan and spiritual speaker Gaur Gopal Das, moderated by journalist Arijit Barman.

Budgetwise Pailwan Is A Costliest Film In Kannada Language

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An Interview With Director S Krishna

 S. Krishna is an Indian cinematographer & film director who primarily works in Kannada films. He gave a new dimension for cinematography through his breath taking visuals in Mungaru Male which is considered as a romantic cult classic. His upcoming Kannada film is Pailwan which will have 9 other languge versions.  

*The budget of Pailwan has crossed Rs 45 crores. Had you planned the film this big?  *If we had a final budget in mind, we might have had to compromise. So we did not have a limit. We do not know how much more it will require. That is one of the reasons we are not finalizing on the deal for selling rights for which we are getting never before heard offers.  *What offers do you have? *We have been offered Rs 30 crores for the all-India TV rights (for all languages). This is the biggest offer ever for a film made in Kannada language. 

 *What was the need for such a huge budget?  The 1st is the requirement of the script. It is a film with a huge canvas. Secondly, GST has made every industry equal. We do not have the luxury of subsidy. There was a little leeway when there were audiences who would choose a film whose ticket cost lesser. Now every film cost the same. We have to have Kannada films that compare favorably with all the high budget films of Hindi or others. We have to give justice to the paying audiences.  

*Is it a big risk you are taking with your 1st ever home production?  *Making a film with a superstar is never a risk. And if you do good films, audiences will come to you. With films with superstars, you are guaranteed a minimum safety. That is why they are superstars. Be it audiences coming to theatres or TV telecast rights, you are assured of a return. As a film maker you need to enhance it. I did Hebbuli with Sudeep before this. It did great business. How do you enhance that? It is by adding more value to the film. 

 *There have been films on wrestling in Hindi recently. There will be obvious comparisons with your film Pailwan. Salman Khan’s Sultan & Aamir Khan’s Dangal released the same year within months of each other. Both were about wrestling & therefore similar. But both were also completely different. Audiences accepted both the films. It is good that the market for films on the subject is known to the audiences now. I am sure comparisons cannot be avoided. But those films give us the confidence that there is an audience for them.  

*So what is so different about Pailwan?  For the Kannada audience, this is one of the rare films with a superstar doing a sports film. Apart from that for every audience, a sports film gives real emotions. These are universal emotions. You know in the very beginning what will happen in the end. But you still want to find out how the hero achieves it. In sports even losing teaches us how to win. It is one of the purest emotions that are used in every sports film.  

*Why did you think of having so many dubbed versions of the film in so many languages?  The 1st & foremost reason for this is Sudeep. He is known everywhere. But as Kannada film makers we have not used his potential in other languages. If we start now, who knows what will happen in 2 to 3 years. The 2nd reason is because this is a sports film. We are not behind money. But we have a story that we think will work everywhere. We want to show them what we have made here. 

 *Can you let us know more about Pailwan in detail!  *Paiwan is directed by me Film & my wife Swapna Krishna is producing this film under our home production banner namely RRR Productions. Paiwan stars Sudeep, Suniel Shetty, Aakanksha Singh, Kabir Duhan Singh, Sharath Lohitashva and others, music is by Arjun Janya, stunt choreographers are Larnell Stowell from Hollywood & Ravi Verma.  Bollywood’s star – actor Suniel Shetty is making his Kannada debut with this film. For the 1st time in his career, Sudeep is sporting a bare body as a wrestler & a boxer. He went to gym for the 1st time ever in his career. The budget of the film has already crossed Rs 45 crores. The film will be in 9 languages including Kannada & will have a theatrical release in 7 to 8 of them. In fact Pailwan is getting bigger with each passing day. The entire film has been shot in over 20 specially erected sets. From boxing rings & stadiums to wrestling “akhadas” to entire villages, the sets at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad is already attracting curious visitors even when the shooting is going on. The film is being dubbed & released in several Indian languages. Apart from Kannada the film will release in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Bhojpuri & Bengali. The film will also be dubbed in Hindi for television. There are plans to dub it in Punjabi too. In total, the film will be available in 9 Indian languages. It will be for the 1st time ever that any Indian film will have so many versions. 

TN man arrested for raping British national in Goa

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Nasheman News : A 30-year-old man from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu has been arrested for raping a middle-aged British woman and robbing her belongings early on Thursday near the beach village of Palolem, police said.

Superintendent of Police (South Goa) Arvind Gawas said that CCTV footage near the scene of the offence and at the local railway station helped police track down the accused at the Margao railway station, located 35 km from Canacona village.

“The accused has been identified as Ramachandran, 30, and is from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. We arrested him as he was trying to flee from the Margao police station,” Gawas said.

The accused allegedly raped the British national around 4.30 a.m. when she was returning from the Canacona railway station to her guest house near Palolem beach after missing a train. Police have booked the accused for rape as well as robbery.

Police said that the accused first tried to rob her and chased her into nearby fields and then raped her, before fleeing with her bags which contained Rs 20,000 in cash. The victim is a regular visitor to Goa for the last 10 years.

Goa is a popular tourism destination attracting more than seven million tourists every year, half a million being foreign nationals. 

Over the last decade, crimes against foreigners, especially women, has been a cause for concern in Goa, especially after the sexual assault and subsequent death of a British teenager Scarlett Keeling in 2018.


1984 riots: Sajjan’s plea seeking more time rejected

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Nasheman News: The Delhi High Court on Friday rejected a plea seeking more time to surrender by former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was given life imprisonment in an anti-Sikh riot case earlier this week.

Sajjan Kumar had sought more time to surrender so he could settle some family matters, as the court ordered him behind bars for the rest of his remaining life.

A Division Bench of Justices S. Muralidhar and Vinod Goel asked him to surrender by December 31.

Claiming his innocence, Sajjan Kumar had requested the court to grant him 30 more days so that he could settle certain property matter and meet his close relatives.

In his plea, the 73-year-old said that he has a big family that includes besides his wife, three children and eight grandchildren.

The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Kumar in an anti-Sikh riot case of 1984 and sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. The court asked him to surrender till December 31.

Sajjan Kumar said he was shocked and surprised by the judgement as trial court had acquitted him in the case.

He told the High Court that he would appeal in the Supreme Court challenging its order and therefore he needed time to engage senior lawyers. 

He also told the court that most senior counsels were on holiday as the apex court was closed due to winter vacation.

He informed the court that he was out on bail in the 1984 cases and never flouted any bail conditions or hampered investigation and has cooperated with the probe agencies.

Sajjan Kumar and the others were charged with the killing of five Sikhs — Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh — who were members from the same family — by a mob in Delhi Cantonment’s Raj Nagar area in the wake of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

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