84 riots cases: Govt wants officers from outside in SIT

According to the AAP, it has now fulfilled an election promise made in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections.

Sisodia also said police officers from outside Delhi would be given the responsibility to conduct the inquiry.

“The Delhi Police has been kept out of the SIT as many questions have been raised about their role in the cases. Also, besides reopening of FIRs, the SIT will also look into allegations of destruction of evidence by police,” Sisodia said.

“The 1984 anti-Sikh riots are a black spot in the history of Delhi. According to official records, 2,733 people were killed in the riots. As many as 587 FIRs were filed, of which 241 were closed or no action was taken,” a statement from the Delhi government said.

The decision to form the SIT was fast-tracked after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi admitted that some Congress leaders were possibly involved in the violence.
“During the election campaign, people had demanded a reinvestigation into the riot cases. They had blamed dirty politics,” Sisodia said.

Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar are facing allegations of involvement in the riots after Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984.

A statement released by the CM’s office said, “The statements recorded in the courts 27 years after the killings were found creditworthy by courts and they relied upon these statements while convicting five accused. The other 237 cases, which have been closed as untraced, if reopened and re-investigated, may lead to similar results.”

Quoting the Ahuja Committee Report, which said 2,733 persons were killed in Delhi, the statement said, “Hardly any cases have resulted in conviction. This has sent a wrong message to the society… In view of the above, the government of Delhi is of the opinion that to uphold the rule of law and to ensure punishment to the guilty of the largest massacre in the capital after Independence, an SIT should be formed.”

The proposed Terms of reference of SIT

• To re-investigate FIRs pertaining to the 1984 riots, which have been closed as untraced.
• To register fresh FIRs, if any, which had not been registered pertaining to the incidents which occurred during the riots.
•  To probe allegations of destruction of evidence, register appropriate cases and investigate the same.
•  To finalise and file chargesheets wherever enough evidence is available, after following due process of law
•  The SIT will be given a year to complete its work from the date of it coming into existence.