Delhi Riots: Police Blames ‘Muslim Rioters’, Lawyer Slams Cops

The new charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police accuses Muslim rioters of attacking the police and non-Muslims.

Charred remains of a vandalised property set ablaze by rioters in Gokulpuri area of the riot-affected northeast Delhi, Wednesday, 26 February.

(Photo: PTI)

The new charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police in FIR 59 of the Delhi riots - dealing with the alleged conspiracy - accuses “Muslim rioters” of attacking police and non-Muslims without provocation. In the document, the police further blames the Muslim community for dislocating the CCTV cameras as a part of a “larger conspiracy”.

Lawyers dealing with Delhi riots cases, however, have slammed the police for these accusations. Mehmood Pracha, who is handling several cases related to the violence, says that the supplementary charge sheet reflects the police’s incompetence.

What the Police Has Alleged?

The supplementary charge sheet claims that "Muslim rioters" proceeded to commit violence against police and non-Muslims without any provocation or retaliation from the other side.

According to the police, “ Attacks by Muslims happened before any alleged provocation or retaliation had taken place which can be attributed to the other community since the only factor constant in the dynamics of human life is time, which records events, as they actually happened.”

It further states that the footage recovered from the PWD cameras installed the next day at “hot-spots” inhabited by non-Muslims, shows that life was “tranquil and unperturbed by the happenings that were taking place on the other side of the divide”.

‘Conspiracy to Destroy CCTV Cameras’

The Delhi police has accused "Muslim rioters" of using a juvenile to disconnect critical CCTV cameras from the power source before proceeding towards the Wazirabad Road, where the murder of a police officer was committed.

The Delhi Police has claimed that the riots were premeditated and pre-planned by “key conspirators and masterminds”. 

“It is established, substantiated and corroborated by the analysis and examination of CCTV footages that in order to enhance the mobilization of people, CCTV cameras were dislocated /disconnected. This act was pre-meditated, in pursuance and furtherance of common conspiracy with the objective to mark the identities of the key characters on the move so that any subsequent investigation into what was aimed at could be frustrated.”

Delhi Police

As per the police’s narrative, the mobilisation 'awed', ‘shocked’, and ‘assaulted’ the police and paramilitary forces deployed in the northeast districts to maintain law and order. It claims that the riots were premeditated and “engineered in pursuance of a larger conspiracy”.

“The frenzied gathering had coalesced at 25 Foota Road, Chand Bagh and Karawal Nagar Road. From there, it moved towards Main Wazirabad Road near Chand Bagh Mazar protest site which is adjacent to many non-Muslim areas such as Yamuna Vihar and Bhajanpura and where the armed and violent riots precipitated.”

Delhi Police

Delhi Police has finally concluded in its supplementary charge sheet that the "Muslim rioters" first proceeded to attack the police officer and then followed it up by attacking the non-Muslims. They have alleged that these rioters caused “large-scale damage and destruction of public and private property by arson and vandalising”.

‘Chargesheet Shows Police’s Incompetence’: Lawyer

Senior advocate Mehmood Pracha, who is representing accused in FIR 59 Gulfisha, has slammed the Delhi Police’s charge sheet.

“This chargesheet shows Delhi Police's incompetence. They could've raised this issue then only, why are they bringing it up now? To keep the pot boiling?” Pracha asked.

“They’ve not retrieved all the footage, they’ve destroyed some of it, because the complete footage will show the involvement of BJP and RSS leaders and their own officers.”

Mehmood Pracha

Pracha has accused the police of trying to protect its own officers.

“They could've approached the Delhi government for the CCTV footage of events after 24 February But they didn't do that to save their own officers,” he said.