LUCKNOW: A 28-year hunt came to an end as Hazratganj Police arrested Parmjeet Singh, a Congress party functionary accused in the 1991 riots, on Wednesday.
Parmjeet, a resident of Civil Lines in Aligarh and the son of Gurvachan Singh, was declared a fugitive after absconding for decades. He was arrested in his hometown on an informer's tip-off by Hazratganj police.
SHO Hazratganj, Vikram Singh, said that Parmjeet Singh was implicated in the 1991 rioting, which caused significant unrest. "Despite multiple attempts by authorities to apprehend him, he managed to evade arrest. In August 1997, a court issued the first non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him, followed by orders to seize his property. After years of eluding law enforcement, Singh was finally traced and arrested following a sustained effort," he said.
The SHO added that Singh fled to places in Amritsar and Ludhiana and concealed his identity. The SHO recalled that on February 15, 1991, a protest by then Youth Congress (I) workers escalated into chaos as protesters forcibly entered the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly premises, damaging public property and clashing with security personnel.
The then SHO of Sarojininagar, Ashok Kumar Yadav, reported that at approximately 1.30pm, 30-40 Youth Congress (I) workers approached Gate No. 1 from Capital Tiraha, pushing past security forces. Despite efforts to prevent their entry, the protesters breached the gate and caused extensive damage inside the premises, including breaking windows, lights, and damaging vehicles, the SHO recalled the event based on the police charge sheet. CRPF was called in to control the situation then.
SHO Vikram Singh said that in the case, a total of nine accused were booked, identified as Pappu Ansari, Sanjay Singh, Mahesh Chandra Sharma, Om Prakash Saraswat, Virendra Sharma, Yogendra Singh, Vaijnath Singh, Madhukar Sharma, and Parmjeet Singh.
They all were booked under the charges of unlawful entry, assault on police personnel, vandalism of govt property, and disrupting public order. "All accused barring Parmjeet were either arrested or surrendered in the court," said the SHO.
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