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Former civil servants set up committee under Justice Lokur to probe Delhi riots

Last Updated 11 October 2020, 14:38 IST

A group of civil servants on Sunday set up a six-member committee led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan Lokur to examine "what transpired before, during and after" the Delhi riots as the police investigation evoked criticism.

The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a group of former civil servants working towards fostering a civic culture bound by the ethos of the Constitution, said it felt that a committee with credible reputation in the higher judiciary, the civil service and the police would be best suited to contribute to an objective and fair understanding of the riots and their aftermath.

Also read: Delhi riots were 'big conspiracy' to disturb country, says MoS Nityanand Rai

"Considering the horrific nature of the riots in North-East Delhi in February 2020, the scale of violence, the loss of lives and the resulting communal divide between communities, we felt that an expert body should carry out a thorough examination of what transpired before, during and after the riots. This has become even more necessary as the investigation carried out into the riots by the Delhi Police has evoked extensive critical commentary in recent times," a statement said.

Besides Justice Lokur, the other members of the 'Citizens Committee on the Delhi Riots of February 2020: Context, Events and Aftermath' are former Justices AP Shah, RS Sodhi and Anjana Prakash, former Home Secretary GK Pillai and former Director-General of Bureau of Police Research and Development Meeran Chadha Borwankar.

The CCG said the committee's task is to "create a contemporary record of acts of omission and commission around the riots, and their aftermath".

The Terms of Reference for the committee include inquiry into the events that transpired before and during the riots, including the response of the state machinery in dealing with the violence, restoring law and order, and related matters and analyse and assess the response of the police in investigating the riots.

The committee will also examine the role of the mainstream media and social media in spreading information, both genuine and fake, before, during and after the riots, and its impact on events as well as assessing the civic administration’s efforts at providing relief and extending reparations to the victims of riots.

"The Constitutional Conduct Group expects the Committee to be committed to independence, impartiality and transparency in its functioning, and to ensuring that it conducts itself with integrity, that all persons who engage with the committee are accorded dignity and respect, and that confidentiality of communications is protected," the statement said.

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(Published 11 October 2020, 14:38 IST)

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