Five Killed in 1986 Delhi Riots Following Punjab Killings
On July 27, 1986, five persons were killed and 45 injured in Delhi when mobs protesting against the killings at Muktsar in Punjab went on a spree of violence and arson in Tilak Nagar and adjoining areas of West Delhi. A number of houses, shops and vehicles were set on fire, while incidents of stone-throwing were reported from east, south and central parts of the city.
Indefinite curfew was imposed on Tilak Nagar police station areas. The Army was asked to stand by, and a flag march was organised in Janakpuri and Tilak Nagar.
The Home Ministry took an extremely serious view of the killings near Muktsar. The Home Minister, Buta Singh, who spoke to the Punjab Chief Minister, Surjit Singh Barnala, asked him to take immediate steps to nab the culprits. Barnala said that one of the four terrorists involved in the killing had been identified and that the security forces were hot on the heels of the killers. The incident occurred during the period of insurgency in Punjab in the 1980s.
