Delhi: Court raps police for 'failure' in stopping Jahangirpuri violence
Delhi's Rohini district court has rejected the bail pleas of eight accused persons in the Jahangirpuri communal violence case. The court stated releasing the accused on bail could affect the witnesses as they were known criminals. Besides dismissing the bail requests on Saturday, the court lambasted the Delhi Police for not stopping the illegal Hanuman Jayanti procession during which communal clashes erupted in Jahangirpuri.
- Delhi's Jahangirpuri area witnessed communal clashes on April 16 when a Hanuman Jayanti procession was confronted by another group near a mosque.
- Police had said three processions were carried out in Jahangirpuri the same day, but only two had permission. Violence was reported during the third one, they added.
- Dozens were arrested in connection with the classes; the third procession's organizers were also booked.
The Rohini court noted the FIR itself stated police personnel accompanied the illegal procession. It said this prima facie demonstrated the Delhi Police's failure in handling the situation as the local police couldn't stop the unauthorized procession. The court added the guilty cops should be held accountable. It directed Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana to investigate the matter and "fix accountability" on involved personnel.
Reprimanding the police, the Rohini court's judge said that accountability "should be fixed on the guilty officers so that such incidents do not happen in future and the police do not fail to stop illegal activities," reported NDTV.
Meanwhile, three more suspects in the Jahangirpuri case have been apprehended by the Delhi Police, reported Hindustan Times. As per the evidence gathered and CCTV footage, the trio was active and allegedly took part in the riots on Hanuman Jayanti. They were identified as Tabrez, Zaheer, and Anabul. While two of them were arrested on Friday, the third suspect was picked up on Saturday.
To recall, violence erupted in Jahangirpuri on April 16 after alleged stone-pelting at a Hanuman Jayanti procession. The communal clashes left nine people injured, including eight police personnel. The Delhi Police had constituted multiple investigation teams and 33 people have so far been arrested in connection with the violence. Three juveniles were also reportedly apprehended.
The Delhi violence matter earlier also reached the Supreme Court. Last month, lawyer Amritpal Singh Khalsa filed a petition urging the SC to conduct an "impartial probe" by a panel headed by a sitting judge. A PIL was also filed in the SC seeking an investigation by the National Investigative Agency into the clashes that erupted on Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami across India.
In the past few weeks, violent clashes broke out at various places across the country, especially during festivals. On Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti last month, states such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Andhra Pradesh, among others, witnessed communal violence. Moreover, around Parashuram Jayanti and Eid-al-Fitr earlier in May, two communities clashed in Rajasthan's Jodhpur.
