A group of intellectuals and academicians on Tuesday, 26 April, released a ‘fact-finding’ report on communal clashes during Hanuman Jayanti procession in New Delhi's Jahangirpuri area on 16 April.
The five-member Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA) is led by Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora, and the report was published after several members of the group paid a visit to the violence-hit area.
The Delhi Police have arrested at least 24 people in connection with stone pelting and arson that broke out during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri on Saturday evening. Two juveniles have also been apprehended.
'C-Block Area Occupied by Illegal Immigrants': SC Advocate
Releasing the report in New Delhi on Tuesday, Monika Arora said, “Delhi police FIR seemed to be an attempt of balancing act. We have noticed that a section in Jahangirpuri’s C-block has been occupied by illegal immigrants.”
Shruti Mishra, a member of the GIA, said witnesses claimed that the Hanuman Jayanti procession was carried out peacefully in C-block area of Jahangirpuri on 16 April, and that the crowd was provoked by an individual named Ansar when the procession was crossing C-block mosque.
She said,
“Those who were involved in stone-pelting on Sunday (16 April) were so aggressive, that they did not even spare the policemen present at the spot. They also attempted to break the idol of lord Hanuman.”
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Prem Sharma, who was earlier questioned by the Delhi Police in connection with the communal clashes, was also present during the release of the report.
He claimed that Delhi Police had granted permission for their procession and such “peaceful processions” have been carried out for years.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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