New Delhi: Five of those involved in Saturday’s riots in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri have been prosecuted under the draconian National Security Act (NSA), which allows for incarceration without charge for up to a year.
The main accused, Ansar, is one of the people facing prosecution under the NSA. Salim, Imam Sheikh or Sonu, Dilshad, and Ahir are the others.
On Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah contacted Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana and demanded that those responsible for the violence in northwest Delhi two days ago, in which many people were hurt, including police officers, be held accountable.
So far, twenty-four people have been arrested, including three minors. Five of them have been charged under a harsh anti-terror statute that allows the government to jail people for months if officials believe they pose a threat to national security or are disrupting public order.
“The Home Minister was very categorical and asked Delhi Police not to make any mistake while probing the matter,” said a senior official from the Home Ministry, in an apparent reference to the February 2020 Delhi riots, during the anti-citizenship law protests. The Delhi Police had been heavily criticised over alleged gaps in its investigation.
The fights on Saturday occurred during a Hanuman Jayanti procession that was held without permission.
The strong volume of religious songs clashed with the azaan, or Muslim call to prayers, as the procession passed past a mosque with people holding saffron flags. The two groups – those in the procession and those praying in the mosque – got into a dispute as a result of this.
The police filed a complaint under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (Disobedience to order properly published by public servant), which is a bailable offense.
According to Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, a search is underway for all of the suspects, and any person found guilty will face consequences “regardless of their class, creed, tribe, or religion.”
So far, three home-made firearms and five swords have been taken from those arrested. “Weapons have been discovered from both groups,” a senior police officer said, “both those who were carrying out the march and those who were resisting it.”
Depender Pathak, a senior police official, said that eight of those arrested are Hindus and the others are Muslims.
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