"Horrific Nature of Delhi Riots Requires Thorough Examination Of What Transpired": Constitutional Conduct Group Forms Inquiry Panel On Delhi Riots

In light of the riots that engulfed North-East Delhi in February, 2020, a group of former civil servants who have worked with the Central Government as well as different State Governments of India have invited former public functionaries of high standing to form a committee to contribute to the objective and fair understanding of the riots and their aftermath.

"We have invited the below-mentioned former public functionaries of high standing, with a proven record of public service and a reputation of rectitude to take on this onerous responsibility:
1. Justice Madan Lokur, former judge of the Supreme Court (Chairperson)
2. Justice A.P. Shah, former Chief Justice of the Madras and Delhi High Courts and former Chairman, Law Commission
3. Justice R.S. Sodhi, former judge of the Delhi High Court
4. Justice Anjana Prakash, former judge of the Patna High Court
5. G.K. Pillai, IAS (Retd.), former Home Secretary, Government of India
6. Meeran Chadha Borwankar, IPS (Retd.), former Director-General, Bureau of Police Research and Development, Government of India"

- Press Statement from the Constitutional Conduct Group

The statement read that considering the horrific nature of the riots in North-East Delhi in February 2020, the scale of violence, the loss of lives and the resulting communal divide between communities, we felt that an expert body should carry out a thorough examination of what transpired before, during and after the riots. "This has become even more necessary as the investigation carried out into the riots by the Delhi Police has evoked extensive critical commentary in recent times," the press release states.

The Group states that the Committee so constituted shall be called "Citizens Committee on the Delhi Riots of February 2020: Context, Events and Aftermath". This Committee's task is to create a contemporary record of acts of omission and commission around the riots, and their aftermath. The Committee is free to formulate its own procedure and that it shall submit a final report 12 weeks after its functioning.

The Terms of Reference for the said Committee are as follows:

1. 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.

2. To analyse and assess the response of the police in investigating the riots.

3. 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.

4. To assess the civic administration's efforts at providing relief and extending reparations to the victims of riots. 

The statement states that the Constitutional Conduct Group "expects the Committee to be 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".