68 murdered in Maliana, all accused acquitted 36 years later, residents ask: So who killed our families?

SINCE MAY 23, 1987, when 68 Muslims were killed in Maliana village on the outskirts of Meerut, many families have moved out, while some have opted to stay back, fighting a slow court battle that ended in heartbreak last week.For the survivors, the over three-decade-long wait for justice has been prolonged after a district court in Mathura acquitted all 41 men in the case. In a 26-page judgment passed on March 31, Additional District Judge Lakhvinder Singh Sood said that “sufficient evidence is not available to convit the accused” and “serious doubts arise” over the credibility of the evidence.

For the survivors, the over three-decade-long wait for justice has been prolonged after a district court in Mathura acquitted all 41 men in the case. In a 26-page judgment passed on March 31, Additional District Judge Lakhvinder Singh Sood said that “sufficient evidence is not available to convict the accused” and “serious doubts arise” over the credibility of the evidence.

The Maliana killings took place a day after the massacre in the Hashimpura neighbourhood of Meerut town, in which PAC personnel shot dead at least 38 Muslims in their custody. In October 2018, the Delhi High Court sentenced 16 former PAC personnel to life imprisonment for the “targeted killing”.

A district court in Meerut last week acquitted all 41 accused in the May 23, 1987 massacre in Maliana village outside the town, in which 68 Muslims were killed by a mob that allegedly included personnel of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC).