Delhi Riots 2020: Police Arrest Accused in Head Constable Ratan Lal's Murder

The Delhi Police Special Cell has made another arrest over the 2020 riots, specifically in connection with the alleged murder of Head Constable Ratan Lal.

The latest: 53-year-old Mohd Ayaz was nabbed by the police from Karnataka's Chikkaballapur district on 17 June, according to an official press release.

• The accused hails from Chand Bagh in Delhi.

• A case had been registered against Ayaz at the Dayalpur police station.

• He had been declared as a proclaimed offender in the Ratan Lal murder case, as per the police.

• A Rs 1 lakh reward had also been announced on Ayaz's arrest, the release added.

"When the violence erupted in North-East Delhi on 24.02.2020, he [Mohd. Ayaz] along with his brother Khalid and other rioters violently attacked police party, in which HC Ratan Lal was killed..." the Delhi Police alleged.

How it unfolded: The accused had allegedly been evading arrest since the past 3 years and had gone to Manipur, according to the police. Then, the police claimed, Ayaz moved to Bengaluru in the first week of June.

"The technical and manual surveillance revealed that Mohd. Ayaz and his brother Khalid were changing their hideouts frequently," the police said.

Version of events: Ayaz, along with his brother Khalid, had participated in the sit-in protest against CAA and NRC organised at Delhi's Chand Bagh, police claimed.

• "During the riots, a huge mob gathered at the Chand Bagh protest site in the morning of 24.02.2020 and attempted to block the main Wazirabad Road," the Delhi Police alleged.

• "However, when the police team tried to stop them, the accused Mohd. Ayaz, his brother Khalid and other rioters started pelting stones and attacked the police party causing death of Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal and grievous injuries to many other police officers/personnel," it further claimed.

A total of 53 people, including Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma, were killed in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.