CONSPIRACY BEHIND DELHI VIOLENCE: SHAH IN LOK SABHA

NEW DELHI: In his first detailed comments about the violence that engulfed Delhi last month, Union home minister Amit Shah said the deadly rioting during February 24-25 was a “preplanned conspiracy” and those guilty, regardless of their religious faith, caste or party affiliation, would not be spared.

Shah was replying to a debate on the issue initiated by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. According to figures provided by him in the House, 52 people were killed, 526 were injured, 371 shops were burnt and 142 homes were destroyed in the riots.

The Capital witnessed three days of communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims, triggered by a violent confrontation between groups supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those opposing it. The clashes started on the evening of February 23 but assumed the form of a full riot by the morning of February 24.

The home minister rejected charges from the Opposition, especially the Congress, of lapses and crucial delay in controlling the riots. He described the particularities of north-east Delhi, which was the epicentre of the riots, and defended the role of the Delhi Police and praised it for containing the violence in 36 hours, within a limited geography. He also outlined the various measures taken to control the riots, the mechanisms set up for subsequent investigation and its preliminary findings; emphasised how he personally was monitoring the situation on a real-time basis; and said that he had requested the national security adviser (NSA), Ajit Doval, to visit the area to raise the morale of the security personnel. Finally, he accused Opposition leaders of provocative hate speeches that created the conditions for the riot.

“There is prima facie evidence that the riots were a pre-planned conspiracy and the police are unearthing proof of this. The guilty, whoever he may be, will be arrested,” the home minister said. To allay apprehensions of opposition leaders, who alleged that many innocent citizens were being arrested, Shah said that no one would be arrested without “strong evidence”.

Earlier in the debate, the home minister came under sharp attack by the Opposition, led by the Congress, which blamed him and his government for ineptly handling the deadly violence.

Asking the home minister to quit, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “Delhi riots could have been stopped if timely action was taken. The Delhi Police is called a modern police. They have all kinds of sophisticated weapons and measures. The Centre can also call paramilitary forces. Despite these things why did this happen? Where was the home minister?”

Chowdhury said “Nero was playing fiddle while Rome burned”, pointing to the government’s preoccupation with the visit of US President Donald Trump at the time. Chowdhury also alleged that Delhi high court judge S Murlidhar was transferred out as he had passed critical orders on the failure of the Delhi Police.

The Trinamool Congress’s Saugata Roy and NK Premchandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party also demanded Shah’s resignation. Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen said the country was witnessing a “tsunami of Hindutva hate”. He called for an impartial probe to punish the rioters.

Giving details of police investigations into the riots, Shah said police have unearthed evidence of a conspiracy, suggesting the violence was not spontaneous.

“The police have evidence of a conspiracy and the probe is on. Nearly 300 people entered the capital from Uttar Pradesh. A separate case of conspiracy will be filed. Money was brought in through hawala. Fake messages were spread through social media. Two people linked to the Islamic State have been arrested,” Shah said.