1984 sikh riots case: AAP welcomes SC decision of constituting SIT

AAP leader Jarnail Singh, fighting for the families affected by the anti-Sikh riots, also urged the Supreme Court to direct the CBI, or an independent investigation agency, to investigate the cases.

New Delhi, Jan 10: The Aam Admi Party (AAP) on Wednesday welcomed Supreme Court's order to constitute a new three-member special investigation team to monitor the re-investigation into 186 cases related to the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 which were closed earlier.

AAP leader Jarnail Singh, fighting for the families affected by the anti-Sikh riots, also urged the Supreme Court to direct the CBI, or an independent investigation agency, to investigate the cases.

"We have no trust in Delhi Police, which was directly involved in killings and made the biggest cover up in the history of India," Singh alleged.

"The cases should be monitored by Supreme Court as it was done in Gujarat riot cases and resulted in a few convictions," he added.

Large-scale riots had broken out in Delhi in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by two Sikh security guards on October 31, 1984. The violence claimed 2,733 lives in the national capital alone.

Deciding to set up a new SIT, the Supreme Court today held that the previous SIT had not carried out further probe into the 186 cases in which closure reports were filed. It said a supervisory body it had appointed found that out of 241 cases, 186 cases were closed without investigation. On August 16 last year, the court had appointed the supervisory panel to examine the SIT's decision to close 241 cases.

PTI