Arvind Kejriwal demands SIT probe into 1984 anti-Sikh riots

Delhi: Aam Aadmi leader Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday that the NDA government should set up SIT to probe the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases.

However, he also welcomed Modi government's decision to give Rs five lakh each to next of kin of 3,325 victims of the riots.

Kejriwal posted on the micro-blogging site Twitter: “Compensation for 1984 riots victims is a good step. But it is important they get justice. AAP government announced SIT. Government should notify it now.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Compensation for 1984 riots victims is a good step. But it is important they get justice. AAP govt announced SIT. Govt shud notify it now.</p>&mdash; Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/527809104106889216">October 30, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The AAP government had on February 06 recommended to the Lt Governor the setting up of an SIT to probe the anti-Sikh riots with a time frame of one year to submit its report.

The modalities of the SIT probe were approved at a Delhi Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet while approving the modalities had stated that all those cases which were closed or shown untraced, would be reopened, reinvestigated and if need arises would also file fresh FIRs.

Subsequently, the Lt Governor had approved the proposal but no notification was issued to set up the probe panel.

The Modi government has decided to give Rs five lakh each to the next of kin of 3,325 victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

Of the 3,325 victims, 2,733 were killed in Delhi alone while rest of the victims were from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states.

In 2006, the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh had announced a package of Rs 717 crore which included monetary compensation of Rs 3.5 lakh to the kin of each killed in the riots besides financial assistance to the injured and those who had lost their property.

With PTI inputs