The Special Investigation Team (SIT) will recreate the crime scene of the 19 incidents that took place during the anti-Sikh riots in which at least 127 people were killed in Kanpur after October 31, 1984, following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.The SIT was set up after the apex court issued notice to the state government in August 2017 on a petition seeking SIT probe into the riots.The four-member SIT is headed by retired Uttar Pradesh DGP Atul and other members include retired district judge Subhash Chandra Agarwal and retired additional director (prosecution) Yogeshwar Krishna Srivastava.SP Balendu Bhushan Singh is its member-secretary.
The state government had set up SIT on February 5, 2019, to probe the circumstances leading to the riots.The SIT members will now visit 19 crime spots with forensic experts and recreate the crime scene along with eyewitnesses.They will also question locals on the chain of events on and after October 31, 1984.SIT member-secretary, SP Balendu Bhushan Singh, said: "In order to understand the sequence of events of any crime, its 'nazri naksha' (city map) is an important link. Right now, we are in the process of preparing 'nazri-naksha' of 1984 with regard to 19 cases related to the anti-Sikh riots that broke out in pockets of Kanpur. A number of geographical changes have taken place at the 19 crime spots in the past 36 years. Through 'nazri naksha', we will try to understand the crime spots of 1984 geographically."He said that the SIT is also trying to contact 56 eyewitnesses as they will be of great help in providing inputs.The 'nazri naksha' will then be submitted in the court on the lines of submission of chargesheet.