Syed Khalique Ahmed | India Tomorrow

NEW DELHI, JULY 16—Contrary to police findings that the provocative speeches delivered by BJP leaders including Kapil Mishra had no role in instigating the Northeast Delhi riots between February 23-27, Delhi Minorities Commission’s Fact-Finding report on Delhi Riots fact-finding report released on Thursday claims that “the violence in different parts of Northeast Delhi broke out almost immediately after the instigating speech of Shri Kapil Mishra on February 23 at Maujpur”.

The report also sought a “probe into the complicity and abdication of duty by the Delhi police in allowing violence to take place, including culpability for engaging in direct acts of violence”.

The nine-member committee comprised of representatives from all religious groups including Hindus and Muslims. The committee was headed by Supreme Court advocate M R Shamshad.

While police made its claims exonerating the role of speeches delivered by BJP’s  rabble-rousers in an affidavit submitted to the court  on July 13 in response to a bunch of PILs seeking registration of FIRs against BJP politicians including Kapil Mishra, the Commission released its report to the mediapersons today after submitting its copies to Delhi’s LG, Chief Minister Kejriwal and Delhi Legislative Assembly Speaker.

The report was released by DMC chairman Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, in presence of DMC members Kartar Singh Kochhar and Ms. Anastasia Gill, and advocate M R Shamshad.

The commission’s report also claimed that the police at many places abetted with the rioters attacking Muslims and destroying their properties, the police affidavit claims that the cops involvement in abetment of violence was not found at all.

The police thus gave a clean chit to both its personnel as well as BJP leaders who had made provocative speeches before the anti-Muslim violence began in Northeast Delhi. The police and DMC’s report are contradictory to each other.

Role of Police in Violence

The report prepared on the basis of testimonies received from about 500 riot victims and running into 130 pages says that” police personnel were complicit and abetted the attacks at some of the places”.

“In some testimonies, clear allegations of engaging in direct violence, including physical assault and abuse, have been made against police officers”, the report says.

The report points out that some police personnel tried to disperse the mobs attacking the Muslims but their colleagues prevented them from taking action against the mob.

“In some cases, police merely stood as onlookers while the mobs engaged in looting, burning and violence. In others, they explicitly gave a go-ahead to the perpetrators to continue with their rampage, saying “do what you want”.

According to the report, a few of the victims made very serious charge against the police and security forces in their testimonies. They alleged that “police and paramilitary forces escorted the perpetrators safely out of the area, once the attack was over”.

The report says that in many cases policemen on patrol duty in riot-hit areas refused to help the victims saying “they had no orders to act”.

The Commission’s report says that tthe “police in some cases refused to register FIRs unless the complainant omitted the names of the accused”.

The report points out that in many cases police did not act upon the FIRs despite serious nature of complaints.

Planned, Organised, Targetted Anti-Muslim Violence

The Commission’s report claims that “the violence was planned, organised and targeted”, and not a “spontaneous” one like a “riot”.

The report says that the mob, mostly belonging to outsiders led by some locals, specifically targeted Muslim houses and properties while chanting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram”, “Har Har Modi”, “Modi ji, kaat do in Mullon ko” and “Aaj tumhein Azadi Denge”.

“The attacks were targeted to the extent that in instances where the owners were Hindus but the properties had been rented to Muslims, the buildings were spared but the moveable properties were looted or burnt outside the premises”, says the report.

Targetting of Religious Places

According to the report, Muslim religious places in Hindu-dominated areas were attacked, torched and blasted by using LPG cylinders and copies of Holy Quran were defiled and set afire, the Hindu places of worship in Muslim dominated areas were protected by local Muslims.

The report says that as many as 11 mosques, five ‘madrasas’ (Muslim seminaries), one Muslim shrine and one graveyard were attacked and damaged in the anti-Muslim violence.

Impact On Women

It says that the Muslim women were assaulted based on their religious identity: their hijabs and burqas. The women victims told the fact-finding team that “police forces and violent mobs together attacked protest sites, women were beaten up by male police officers and attacked by mobs”.

“Women were also threatened of acid attacks and sexual violence by mobs”, says the report.

The committee has recommended setting up of a five-member independent committee chaired by a retired High Court judge for a judicial probe into the anti-Muslim violence.

The report also suggested proper registration of FIRs, recording of victims statements under Section 164 of CrPC, providing protection to witnesses and victims, reviewing of police chargesheets to include fact left out by the police, probe the complicity and abdication of duty by the Delhi police in allowing violence to take place, including culpability for engaging in direct acts of violence, adequate compensation to all victims, including for damages to religious places of worship, graveyards and shrines.