Over 50 people had been killed in the violence (File)
A citizens’ committee formed to analyse the circumstances that led to the Delhi riots and the response of the public machinery has asked people to give information on the February violence that left over 50 dead. “The Committee is issuing this public notice inviting all persons, in confidence, who have information and material pertaining to Delhi riots to send such information and material, in as much detail as possible, to the Committee,” the committee said in a statement.
Here is the full statement:
A committee has been constituted at the invitation of the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG) (see https://constitutionalconduct.com/) to examine the events surrounding the Delhi riots of February 2020. The Committee comprises the following former public functionaries of high standing: Justice Madan B. Lokur, former judge of the Supreme Court (Chairperson); Justice A.P. Shah, former Chief Justice of the Madras and Delhi High Courts and former Chairman, Law Commission; Justice R.S. Sodhi, former judge of the Delhi High Court; Justice Anjana Prakash, former judge of the Patna High Court; Mr. G.K. Pillai, IAS (Retd.), former Home Secretary, Government of India; and Ms. Meeran Chadha Borwankar, IPS (Retd.), former Director-General, Bureau of Police Research and Development, Government of India. The terms of reference of the Committee are as follows:
- To inquire 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.
- To analyse and assess the response of the police in investigating the riots.
- To examine the role of the mainstream and social media in spreading information, both genuine and fake, before, during and after the riots, and its impact on events.
- To assess the civic administration’s efforts at providing relief and extending reparations to the victims of riots.
The Committee is 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.
Within this framework of principles, the Committee will collect and scrutinize primary material, including first person account of those who have direct knowledge of the events and issues within the Committee’s purview, FIRs, Charge-sheets and other documents prepared by government agencies, audio-visual and documentary material that have a bearing on matters under examination. The Committee will also review secondary material including reports and accounts already in the public domain. The Committee will put out a public notice requesting information and material pertaining to Delhi riots and its aftermath to provide such material or information to the Committee. Based on information received, the Committee may invite persons for more detailed interactions with it. The Committee will also proactively collect and review information and materials pertaining to Delhi riots and reach out to persons who may have information or materials pertaining to the events under examination.
Now therefore, the Committee is issuing this public notice inviting all persons, in confidence, who have information and material pertaining to Delhi riots to send such information and material, in as much detail as possible, to the Committee. Based on a perusal of this information, the Committee may invite persons for further interactions, keeping their identity confidential.
Please write or upload your confidential submissions at https://www.citizenscommitteeondelhiriots.in/submission-form
Or send your submission by post to Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), Common Cause House, 2nd Floor, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 110070
Last date for submissions: November 30, 2020
For any other enquiries, email [email protected]
