Northeast Delhi riots: LG nod to prosecute six

Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena on Sunday granted sanction for prosecution of six individuals accused in a case related to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots in which a man died due to gunshot injury, officials said.

The LG secretariat in an official statement said that “during investigation it has emerged that deep rooted conspiracy was hatched under the garb of opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill which led to the riots in the North-East District of Delhi.”

In February 2020, communal violence rocked several parts of northeast Delhi during the protests against and for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and claimed 53 lives, injuring more than 500.

The statement adds that the aforementioned case relates to the death of 25-year-old Shahid Allah Mehar, who was a resident of gali number 17 in New Mustafabad. He had died due to a gunshot injury on February 24, 2020 and the case was lodged on March 1, 2020 in Dyalpur police station. “LG has granted prosecution sanction ...for the commission of offences punishable under section 153 A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code,” the statement adds.

Section 153A pertains to offences related to “promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony” which is punishable with imprisonment up to three years. Section 505(1) deals with cases related to public mischief where a person publishes or circulates any rumour with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public.

In Mehar’s death case, the LG’s office said that “the accused had forcefully entered into the building of Saptarishi Ispat and Alloys Pvt Ltd and looted the office of the firm with other rioters... The victim had sustained the gunshot injury at the roof stop of the company located at the service road Wazirabad Road during the incident of riot February 24... Investigations revealed that the conspirators were distributing pamphlets stating that the Centre intended to take away the citizenship of Muslims and further would be put in the detention camp”.

The investigation in the case was done by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch.

“The Lieutenant Governor has granted the sanction for prosecution under Section 196 (1)of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973. The FIR No 84/2020 was lodged under Sections 144, 145,147, 148,149, 153A, 302, 395,397,452,454,505,506,188 and 120B of the IPC,” the statement concludes.

Delhi Police quote

Meanwhile, in a separate case, Saxena granted sanction for prosecution of a person accused in the incident of desecration of statue of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar at the MCD Park, New Priyanka Camp, Madanpur Khadar in southeast Delhi last year in August.