By IANS,
New Delhi : Two commissions and eight committees have been set up to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which about 2,700 Sikhs were killed by rampaging mobs in the aftermath of the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi. The following are their names, when they were constituted and their respective findings:
Marwah Committee
Ved Marwah, Additional Commissioner of Police, was assigned the job of enquiring into the role of the police during the carnage. Set up in November 1984.
Many of the accused officers of Delhi Police went to Delhi High Court. As Marwah completed his inquiry towards the middle of 1985, he was abruptly directed by the home ministry not to proceed any further.
Misra Commission of Enquiry
Misra Commission was appointed in May 1985. Justice Rangnath Misra submitted his report in August 1986. In his report, Justice Misra stated that it was not part of his terms of reference to identify any person and recommended the formation of three committees.
Kapur-Mittal Committee
Kapur-Mittal Committee was appointed in February 1987 on the recommendation of the Misra Commission to inquire into the role of the police. It submitted its report in 1990.
Seventy-two police officers were identified for their connivance or gross negligence. The committee recommended the forthwith dismissal of 30 police officers out of 72.
Jain-Banerjee Committee
It consisted of Justice M.L. Jain, former Judge of the Delhi High Court, and A.K. Banerjee, retired Inspector General of Police. This committee recommended registration of cases against Sajjan Kumar in August 1987, but no case was registered.
Potti-Rosha Committee
Potti-Rosha Committee was appointed in March 1990, by the V.P. Singh government. In August 1990, Potti-Rosha issued recommendations for filing cases based on affidavits that victims of the violence had submitted. There was one against Sajjan Kumar. Its termed expired in September 1990.
Jain-Aggarwal Committee
The committee was appointed in December 1990 as a successor to the Potti-Rosha Committee. It recommended registration of cases against H.K.L. Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar, Dharamdas Shastri and Jagdish Tytler. This committee wound up in August 1993.
Ahuja Committee
Ahuja Committee was the third committee recommended by the Misra Commission to ascertain the total number of killings in Delhi. This committee submitted its report in August 1987 and gave a figure of 2,733 as the number of Sikhs killed in Delhi alone.
Dhillon Committee
Dhillon Committee headed by Gurdial Singh Dhillon was appointed in 1985 to recommend measures for the rehabilitation of the victims. This committee submitted its report by the end of 1985.
One of the major recommendations of this Committee was that the business establishments, which had insurance cover but whose insurance claims were not settled by insurance companies on the technical ground that riot was not covered under insurance, should be paid compensation under the directions of the government.
Narula Committee
Narula Committee was appointed in December 1993 by the Madan Lal Khurana government of Delhi. The committee submitted its report in January 1994 and recommended the registration of cases against H.K.L. Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler.
The Nanavati Commission
The Commission claimed evidence against Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and H.K.L. Bhagat for instigating the mobs to violence. The commission also held the then police commissioner S.C. Tandon directly responsible for the riots. Justice G.T. Nanavati submitted the committee’s 185-page report to Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Feb 9, 2005, and it was tabled in Parliament Aug 8, 2005.