New Delhi: The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a collective of former officials who worked with the central government, as well as with different state governments, has formed a committee of six high-level former public officials to create a “contemporary registry of acts of omission and commission ”surrounding the February 2020 Delhi riots.
Three former SC-HC judges, three officials on the panel
The committee, called ‘Citizens’ Committee on the February 2020 Delhi Riots: Context, Events and Aftermath’, will be comprised of former Supreme Court Justice, Justice Madan Lokur, former Chief Justice of Madras and Delhi and former chairman of the Law Commission, Justice AP Shah, former Delhi High Court Judge, Judge RS Sodhi, former Patna High Court Judge, Judge Anjana Prakash, former Union Secretary of the Interior GK Pillai, and Former Director General of the Office of Police Research and Development Meeran Chadha Borwankar.
Stating that this is an apolitical group that is working to foster a civic culture tied to the spirit of the Constitution, the GCC said the horrific nature of the riots in northeast Delhi in February 2020, the scale of violence, the loss lives and the resulting communal division between communities highlighted the need for a body of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of what happened before, during and after the riots.
‘Delhi Police Investigation Drew Critical Comments’
Noting that “the investigation carried out into the riots by the Delhi police has elicited extensive critical comments in recent times,” he said this has become even more necessary now.
He said that therefore a “Committee with a 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 its consequences.”
The Committee may formulate its own procedure and present a final report within 12 weeks after the start of its work.
The role of the state, the police and the media to investigate
The CCG said the panel of prominent former public officials will investigate events that occurred before and during the unrest, including the response of the state machinery to deal with violence, restore law and order and related matters.
It will also analyze and evaluate the response of the police in the investigation of the riots and examine the role of the main social networks and social networks in the dissemination of information, both authentic and false, before, during and after the riots, and its impact on events.
The Committee will also evaluate the efforts of the civic administration to provide relief and extend reparations to the victims of the riots.
The CCG said that while it expects the Committee to remain committed to the independence, impartiality and transparency in its operation, and to ensure that it conducts itself with integrity, it would also expect that all persons who interact with the committee receive dignity and respect, and that the confidentiality of communications would be protected.
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