I suppose as background 'salute' to ANH:R detractors the IG-88 could be replaced with a Imperial Torture droid with a burnt out electro-needle ;-)

Or less contentiously with a more anonymous piece of junk.

Some people like it being there as it could suggest some kind of hidden back story.

Personally I think it's a slightly less annoying manifestation of the same stage dressing laziness that put FX-7 and 21B in the Rebel briefing scene in ROTJ.

They built something so they wanted to get mileage out of the prop regardless of logic.