The Delhi Government has landed itself in an embarrassing situation as a file regarding constitution of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots has been reportedly missing since March 16, 2015.
The file had been reportedly marked to then Delhi Home Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, who is out on bail in connection with a case pertaining to his fake degree certificates. The “missing file” issue has gained significance as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has put in all his energies as AAP is to contest the Assembly elections in Punjab in 2017.
He had even gone to the extent of saying that he was not looking for the next lok Sabha elections but was keener in the Punjab Assembly polls.
In a circular issued to all the departments of the Delhi Government on January 8, Deputy Secretary (Home) Ashish Kumar has made a strong request to all the concerned officers to “kindly look into their respective departments” and if the file is found it may kindly be returned to the Home Department. The circular No. F.10/R-68/01/2014/HP-II (Part-II)/220, signed by Kumar on January 7 has specified that the same was being issued with prior approval of the competent authority.
The circular said, “It is to bring to the notice of all the concerned that a File No. 10/R-68/01/2014/HP-II bearing CD No. 001315833 regarding constitution of Special Investigation Team (1984 Riots), pertaining to Home-II Branch, which was marked to the then Minister of Home on 16-03-2015. Since then the said file is not traceable.”
Interestingly, responding to a media query over the missing file, Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain on Thursday said, “These were just rumours as no such file is missing.” A Delhi Government officer said on the condition of anonymity that the Home Department will have to get all documents and files pertaining to SIT on 1984 from the courts.
The AAP Government had time and again raised the issue of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims. It had also given an additional Rs five lakh compensation to the families of the riot victims. The SIT for re-investigation into the 1984 riot cases, mainly in Delhi and other States, had been set up by the Union Home Ministry. The newly constituted three-member SIT had been empowered to examine a fresh evidence in cases which had even been closed.
The SIT had been empowered to look into all serious criminal cases relating to the riots, examine evidence and even re-open cases and file charge sheets in the courts concerned. A senior Home Ministry official had then said the SIT had been given six months to complete its work, including filing of chargesheets in nearly three-decade old cases.
The SIT, headed by Pramod Asthana, an IPS officer of 1986 batch, Rakesh Kapoor, a retired district and sessions judge and Kumar Gyanesh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police as its members.
As the BJP-led NDA Government’s move to set up SIT into 1984 anti-Sikh riots was announced at a time when polls to the Delhi Assembly were to be held, the Aam Aadmi Party, which swept the elections, had earlier termed it as a “poll gimmick” by the BJP.
Numerous commissions have been set up to investigate the riots. The most recent commission on the pogroms, headed by Justice GT Nanavati, submitted its 185-page report to then Home Minister Shivraj Patil on February 9, 2005, and the report was tabled in Parliament on August 8, 2005.
At least 10 commissions and committees have so far enquired into the riots that include Marwah Commission, Justice Rangnath Misra Commission, Justice Dalip Kapur and Kusum Mittal Commission, Jain Banerjee Committee, Potti Rosha Committee, Jain Aggarwal Committee, Ahuja Committee, Gurdyal Singh Dhillon Committee, Narula Committee and the Nanavati Commission.