NEW DELHI: In stark contrast to the timeline provided by Delhi police of the North East Delhi communal riots, the Delhi Minorities Commission on Thursday cited two shooting attempts at anti- CAA-NRC protest sites in Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia Islamia and “incendiary” speeches made by several BJP leaders to provide background to the events that led to the riots.
From Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the fact finding report of the commission blamed many BJP leaders for giving communal speeches that preceded the violence. Former MLA of Karawal Nagar BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who has been given a clean chit by Delhi Police, has been mentioned as many as 19 times in the panel’s report.
"Within hours of the Kapil Mishra's speech on 23 February 2020, violence broke out in various parts of North East Delhi, including Shiv Vihar, Khajuri Khas, Chand Bagh, Gokulpuri, Maujpur, Karawal Nagar, Jafrabad, Mustafabad, Ashok Nagar, Bhagirathi Vihar, Bhajanpura and Kardam Puri," the report stated.
"Violence started in different pockets almost immediately after the short speech of Shri Kapil Mishra on 23 February 2020 at Maujpur in which he openly called for forcefully removing the protestors at Jafrabad in North East Delhi.” He clearly said that he and his supporters will take matters into their own hands, alluding to extra-legal vigilante tactics. The open admission of “not listening” to the police and extra legal tactics should have been seen by the authorities present as inciting violence," according to the report.
The report also pointed out the alleged inaction of the Deputy Commissioner of Police North-East district, Ved Prakash Surya, who, according to the panel, was seen standing right next to Kapil Mishra, when Mishra made the controversial statement.
"At this point, the police failed to apprehend and arrest Kapil Mishra and all those gathered to hear and cheered his speech. This indicates that they failed to take the first and most immediate preventive step needed to avoid violence from arising and protect life and property," the panel said.
It was after Mishra's speech, the report stated, that “different groups/mobs quickly fanned out to the local areas, openly carrying various weapons and arms like petrol bottles/bombs, iron rods, gas cylinders, stones and even firearms.”
Giving details of the background to the riots in which 53 people died, the fact-finding report also cited a speech reportedly made by BJP MLA Somasekhara Reddy in which he “cautioned” Muslims against participating in anti-CAA rallies and warned them of “serious repercussions in blatantly divisive and dangerous terms.”
Besides quoting inciteful speeches of Shah, Adityanath and Mishra, the report also highlighted hate speeches given by Minister of Animal Husbandry Giriraj Singh, former MLA of Karawal Nagar, Mishra, BJP General Secretary Tarun Chugh, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, former BJP MLA Abhay Verma and BJP leader Tajinder Singh Bagga
The chairperson of the fact-finding report, Supreme Court advocate MR Shamshad stated, “Partisanship and bias on the part of the Police and Government have led to the abject failure of duty and of the law and order machinery in the Capital of India. Investigations have purposefully been misdirected to change the narrative of the cause of the violence that erupted in the North-East district of Delhi. Instances of incitement for violence by politicians of national standing have been completely bypassed.”
The chronology of events mentioned by Delhi police in its chargesheets comprise violent incidents at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 15 last year, followed by violence in New Friends Colony, and then the subsequent anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh and at various other places in Delhi as the backgrounds to the communal violence in North East Delhi.
The panel, which submitted its report to the Delhi government three days ago, has also sought for the constitution of a five-member independent committee to be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court/Delhi High Court to address the issues faced by the victims — such as non-registration of FIRs, review of the chargesheets that “have left out many facts” — and ensure expedition of appropriate compensation for victims.