Ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots is back in the news again. A Government-appointed committee has recommended constitution of a SIT for re-investigation of the riot cases. The committee headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (retd) GP Mathur submitted its report to Home Minister Rajnath Singh last week and recommended fresh probe in those cases which were closed by the police and did not reach courts.
Since the Model Code of Conduct is in force there was no official word on this proposal, but highly-placed Government sources confirmed the news trickling in the media since Sunday morning. The move invited sharp criticism from Congress and AAP. While the Opposition parties termed the timing of submission of the report and its “leak” as “political gimmick” to impact the Delhi election season, Akali Dal and Delhi Gurudwara management committee welcome the decision.
The committee was set up on December 23 last year to look into the possibility of re-investigation of the 1984 riots. An order for SIT probe is likely to be issued after the polls. Slamming the move, the Opposition said it was an attempt to influence voters in Delhi as less than a week is left for polling. “It is deprecating. Justice cannot be an electoral gain... Is it only an electoral ploy or gimmick of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to woo voters ahead of pollsIJ If it is so, then it is deprecating,” said Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Questioning the timing, he asked whether the Prime Minister and his government were “sleeping” for nine months and now suddenly woke up when only a week is left for polling in Delhi. Aam Aadmi Party leader and the advocate of the Sikh victims HS Phoolka said the “leak” about the move “appears to be a poll gimmick” as it has come on the eve of elections here. “Nobody knows how many cases they are going to re-open. Nothing has come out... It seems it is like a joke,” Phoolka said.
Noting that the Government had earlier made an announcement about Rsfive lakh compensation to the victims, he said, “only 17 people have been given it till now. Now, just on the eve of the elections again, they have given this leak.” Akali Dal leader and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Committee chief Manjit Singh GK welcomed the move and said the SIT should be set up at the earliest. Singh, who took a delegation to meet the Home Minister, said Rajnath Singh had assured them that justice will be done.
“Akali Dal has been fighting for a long time for justice for the 1984 riots and now we are thankful to the Prime Minister who created this committee... I think, now the government shold not waste any time and should constitute an SIT so that justice is delivered because it has been delayed for over 30 years,” he said.