Govt doesn’t have any ‘84 riot probe reports

Despite several cases pertaining to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots pending in different courts, Lok Sabha, Union home ministry and even Delhi’s home department do not have reports of the inquiry commissions instituted to look into the riots.

Despite several cases pertaining to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots pending in different courts, Lok Sabha, Union home ministry and even Delhi’s home department do not have reports of the inquiry commissions instituted to look into the riots.

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Suroor Mander, a resident of Sarvodaya Enclave in south Delhi, had filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act with Lok Sabha’s Public Information Officer asking for the number of reports of various commissions and committees inquiring into the anti-Sikh riots.

From there, after multiple transfers, it reached Delhi government’s home department in January 2010. With no satisfactory replies, Mander approached the Central Information Commission (CIC).

“It appears that a number of Commissions have made hay on the Anti-Sikh Riots and given reports. These have not delivered any justice to the victims and yet these reports cannot be located. It appears that nobody (in the government) is even aware of what these reports said,” Information Commis-sioner Shailesh Gandhi said while hearing the case on Friday.

The CIC has directed Home Secretary G.S. Patnaik to provide an affidavit before October 10 certifying that Marwah Commission Report, Dhillon Committee report and Narula Committee report are not with the Delhi government.