1984 riots: BJP leader seeks SIT to find ‘invisible hand’ behind violence

“Even after more than 30 years of impunity, justice to the Sikh community has not been given.
BJP national secretary and former Delhi MLA RP Singh (Photo | Twitter)
BJP national secretary and former Delhi MLA RP Singh (Photo | Twitter)

NEW DELHI: BJP national secretary and former Delhi MLA RP Singh has written to the Union Home minister Amit Shah seeking action against the perpetrators of 1984 anti-Sikh riots based on  the report of Justice Dhingra commission. 

​In the letter sent last week, Singh also requested Shah to form a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ascertain the ‘invisible hand’ behind the violence that had erupted after the assassination of then PM Indira Gandhi.  

“Even after more than 30 years of impunity, justice to the Sikh community has not been given. Hence, the Government on an urgent basis must take action as promised without any further delay,” the letter said. Singh is also an intervener in the matter before the Supreme Court, which set up the inquiry panel in 2018. 

Referring to various observations made by the Justice Dhingra panel, Singh wrote that several police officials and others responsible for the violence have been promoted instead of being punished.  

“As the report makes it abundantly clear it is reiterated that the violence, riots as well as the clearance to the persons involved including but not limited to the rioters, were indeed orchestrated and cleared by an invisible hand from the very top of the Government in power during that time. It is submitted that instead of holding those responsible for the violence to account, many police officials and others involved have been promoted over the last 30 years,” Singh wrote.  

He further added, “The report by the Justice Dhingra Committee clearly and unarguably put forward a case in favour of the petitioners, displaying explicitly how the various functionaries of the state, namely, the Judiciary, the Police and the State were working hand in glove not only to aid such a gruesome hate crime against a minority community but also successfully manage to shirk off the accountability for the same by giving clearance to the accused.” 

Singh said Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the home ministry, on January 1 this year had informed the apex court that the ministry accepted the  SIT report, which implicates several cops and would take action accordingly.  

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