Battered Capital counts its dead Why no FIR for hate speeches: Delhi high court pulls up police
27 dead over three days of communal riots, at least 14 from gunshot wounds; more than 330 people injured
Peace and harmony are central to our ethos. I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister
NEWDELHI: The death toll from the communal riots in Delhi rose to 27 on Wednesday but security forces appeared to regain control of the battered areas after National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval stepped in and led teams of senior police officers to riot-hit localities in the city’s north-east, three days after violence first began and turned into the deadliest riots seen in the Capital in over three decades.
The situation also played out in the political and judicial arenas, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing for calm in his first reaction to the violence, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi calling for the resignation of home minister Amit Shah for the police’s failure to contain the violence, and Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal blaming “outsiders” and “politics of hate”; and hearings on the issue in both the Delhi high court and the Supreme Court.
“The situation is under control and people are satisfied. We have confidence in law enforcement agencies. Police is doing their job and is alert,” Doval said.
He was on his second visit since he first reached the region shortly before midnight on Tuesday.
When scared residents asked him what lay ahead, he tried to assuage their fears: “Inshallah, there will be peace.”
In all, at least 330 people have injuries.
Of the 27 dead, at least 14 had bullet wounds, said authorities at the two main hospitals where the victims were taken.
Overnight, the NSA held emergency meetings that included special commissioner SN Srivastava and other senior officers of the Delhi Police.
Doval later met Union home minister Amit Shah, to whom the Delhi Police reports.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court has asked city police commissioner Amulya Patnaik and special police commissioner Praveer Ranjan to view videos of hate speeches made by politicians which could have contributed to the violence in the Capital that took a communal turn earlier this week, leaving at least 27 dead. It asked them to do this on Wednesday itself, take a “conscious” call on the action that will be taken against these people, and inform the court of the same on Thursday.
In oral observations, the court on Wednesday exhorted the police to “just file FIRS”.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi Police, resisted, saying the atmosphere to file the cases was “not conducive”. The court’s final order did not include a direction
The CWC is of the firm opinion that what has happened... is a colossal failure of duty for which the entire responsibility must be borne by the Central government SONIA GANDHI, Congress chief
for the FIRS.
The bench watched and also made SG Tushar Mehta watch videos of hate speeches made by four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, Kapil Mishra, Abhay Verma, Parvesh Verma and Anurag Thakur .
This came after Mehta said he had not watched the videos.