North East Delhi Tense After 48 Hours of Fatal Violence, Delhi High Court Fumes, NSA Ajit Doval Leads Confidence-Building Measures
The Delhi High Court, which heard in detail about the violence which had erupted in the national capital, expressed concern over the "sad state of affairs" in the city. Recalling the pogrom committed against the Sikh community 36 years ago, the bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Talwant Singh said they 'cannot let another 1984 riots' be repeated under their watch.
New Delhi, February 26: A weary calm prevailed in North East Delhi on Wednesday following 48 hours of violence. The fatality count jumped to 27, as several among the injured at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital succumbed to death. With the matter reaching the judicial corridors, the Supreme Court fumed over the "unprofessionalism" of police forces in combating the riot-like situation in the national capital.
The Delhi High Court, which heard in detail about the violence which had erupted in the national capital, expressed concern over the "sad state of affairs" in the city. Recalling the pogrom committed against the Sikh community 36 years ago, the bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Talwant Singh said they "cannot let another 1984 riots" be repeated under their watch. Delhi HC Directs Police to Probe Speeches of BJP Leaders Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma, Abhay Verma, Anurag Thakur and Decide on Filing FIR.
During the course of hearing, the court also expressed dismay when the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) said he hasn't seen the video of Kapil Mishra allegedly inciting a mob against the anti-CAA protesters. "There are so many TVs in your office, how can a police officer say that he hasn't watched the videos? I'm really appalled by the state of affairs of Delhi Police," the bench reportedly said. 'Can't Let Another 1984 Riots Happen', States High Court; Police Says Haven't Seen Kapil Mishra's Video.
FIRs Against Agent Provocateurs?
The High Court was hearing pleas seeking FIR against Mishra for the video he posted on Sunday, in which the former MLA could be seen issuing an ultimatum to vacate the site of protest in Jaffrabad and Chand Bagh at the earliest. Mishra could be heard saying that he along with his supporters "would hit the streets" if the protesters do no disperse within the next three days.
The bench not only asked the police to examine the video of Mishra, but also of three other BJP leaders - Anurag Thakur, Abhay Verma and Parvesh Verma. The videos showing them allegedly spewing communal hatred should be probed and a decision must be taken by tomorrow on the filing of FIRs, the court said before adjourning the matter till Thursday.
NSA Ajit Doval Leads Confidence-Building Measures
During the court proceedings, the bench also stressed on the need for confidence-building from the "highest-level of functionaries". Shortly thereafter, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval visited the minority-dominated pockets of North East Delhi, including Babarpur, Jaffrabad and Maujpura which were worst affected by the violence.
Doval interacted with community leaders and locals, assuring them that "complete security" would be provided by the police personnel. He reiterated that no law-abiding citizen of India, irrespective of his religious beliefs, would have to fear anyone.
"My message is that everyone who loves their country - also loves their society, their neighbour. Everyone should live with love and harmony with others. People should try to resolve each other's problems and not increase them," the NSA said.
"People have a sense of unity among them, there is no enmity. A few criminals do things like this (spread violence), people are trying to isolate them. Police is here and doing its work. We're here as per the orders of HM (Amit Shah) and PM (Narendra Modi). Inshallah yahan par bilkul aman hoga," Doval further added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 26, 2020 11:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).