New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy Tuesday moved a plea in a court here seeking a probe into the alleged role of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in the 1987 mass killings in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, a lawyer said.
Swamy's counsel Tarun Goomber said he moved the application before Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Siddarth and sought direction for further investigation in the case.
The petitioner said that Chidambaram, who was then the union minister of state for internal security, visited Hashimpura area of Meerut just before the incident in which around 40 Muslims were allegedly killed by the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC).
The incident took place after a curfew was clamped to search for illegal arms in the area. The case has reached the stage of recording of evidence.
Sixteen PAC personnel are facing trial for allegedly killing Muslims in Meerut.
The court took note of Swamy's application and asked special public prosecutor Satish Tamta to file the reply till Nov 23, Swamy's counsel said.
Swamy told the court that during the early hours of May 22, 1987 a few trucks of the Uttar Pradesh PAC arrived in Hashimpura just before the incident.
He told the court that it was admitted on the floor of the Rajya Sabha April 26, 1988 that Chidambaram with Vir Bahadur Singh (then Uttar Pradesh chief minister) conducted an aerial survey of Hashimpura, Malliana and other riot-affected areas of Meerut May 18, 1987 - four days before the alleged killings.
Swamy apprised the court that in August 1987 he undertook a fast unto death at the Boat Club in central Delhi to demand an inquiry into the alleged offence committed by Chidambaram.
The chargesheet in the case was filed before a chief judicial magistrate in Ghaziabad in 1996 against 19 PAC personnel.
The Supreme Court transferred the case to Delhi in September 2002 following a petition by families of the massacre's victims and survivors.
A sessions court here July 2006 framed charges of murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy against all the accused. Three accused PAC personnel died during trial.
