Ahooja Committee Report :Delhi Riots – 1984

Ahooja Committee Report

E N Q U I R I E S C O N D U C T E D B Y T H E D E L H I A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

In order to provide relief to the families of those who were affected by the riots, the Delhi Administration had appointed a Relief Commissioner. Amongst other relief measures the Administration had also announced that the next of kin of those who were killed would be given an ex-gratia payment of Rs.10,000/- in each case. In order to disbrse the relief, a set procedure was adopted. This consisted of a public notice for calling the applications. Thereafter, teams were set up, consisting of officials of Delhi Administration, to conduct enquiries into individual cases. The Relief Commissioner first published public notices in various newspapers on 6-11-84 and repeated it at intervals. In response to the public notices, the Relief Commissioner received the following number of applications upto 31st Many, 1987: –

After the enquiries conducted by the Relief Commissioner, 2426 cases were accepted till 31st May, 1987 while the rest were rejected.

On the basis of the enquires conducted by his office, the Relief Commissioner has sanctioned payment of death compensation in 2426 cases upto date (31st May, 1987). Thus, according to the enquiries conducted by the Relief Commissioner’s office a total number of 2426 deaths have been established so far.

A detailed scrutiny of the list of the Relief Commissioner office has shown that names of 21 persons appear twice. Thus, in calculating the number of deaths the list of 2426 will have to be reduced by 21. Further police verification has shown that two persons mentioned in that list are still alive while two persons had died before the riots in November, 1984. After taking out these four cases the number of deaths, which can be accepted on the basis of the enquiries conducted by the Relief Commissioner would come to 2401. This list would be referred hereafter as the ‘Relief Commissioner’s list.’