NEW DELHI: The Delhi police used "appropriate force" and took "proportionate action" in the Delhi riots cases, the government said on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Home Affairs was asked if it had taken cognisance of videographic footage that allegedly showed police using excessive force in some cases while, in some other instances, failing to do its duty by silently observing the violence instead of intervening to stop rioting mobs.
"During the Northeast Delhi riots, Delhi Police acted swiftly in an impartial and fair manner. Proportionate and appropriate actions were taken by Delhi Police to control the situation," MoS Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy told the Lok Sabha.
He was answering questions posed by Congress MP Mohammad Jawed who also asked whether the government intends to investigate the actions of the police during the riots that took place in February last year.
The minister, in his reply, lauded the police for controlling riots. "Sincere, dedicated and incessant efforts made by Delhi Police brought the riotous situation to normalcy within a short span of time and also prevented the riots from spreading across to other areas," he said.
Reddy added that the police used appropriate force to control and disperse the crowd. "Necessary legal and preventive actions were taken by Delhi Police on all complaints/ calls received, as per law and procedure," Reddy said, in a written reply.
Delhi Police's role during the riots has been criticised by many, including the Delhi Minorities Commission, which went on to allege that police even participated in the violence in some areas and that there was deliberate inaction on the part of the cops.
In a fact-finding report released in July last year, the minorities panel suggested that the "failure to prevent communal violence was not due to individual or sporadic breaches, but was a pattern of deliberate inaction over several days".