Political battle after street fights
Delhi govt, Centre, Oppn politicians shift blame as Delhi’s body count climbs to 38, many still critically injured 2 SITS formed, AAP leader Tahir Hussain charged with murder; BJP’S Kapil Mishra holds ‘peace’ march
nNEWDELHI: The death toll from the communal riots in north-east Delhi rose to 38 on Thursday as sporadic violence continued in some neighbourhoods, but most of the region reported a nervous peace while much of the focus shifted to a political slugfest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Several BJP leaders launched an onslaught on the AAP, pointing to the ostensible recovery of petrol bombs (Molotov cocktail) and pouches of acid from AAP councillor Tahir Hussan’s residence in Chand Bagh, which witnessed the worst of the rioting that raged between Sunday and Wednesday.
Delhi Police officials said on Thursday evening that Hussain was booked for the murder of an Intelligence Bureau staffer, a charge he denied in a video statement.
“I want to say that all the news being spread and shown about me is totally false. It is all dirty politics being played against me,” he said, hours before he was suspended by the AAP.
Responding to the allegations against his party colleague, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that if anyone from AAP played any role in the riots, “they should be given double the punishment”. “If the police were under me, I would have taken the strictest action. There should not be any politics in this,” he added.
The neighbourhood around Hussain’s residence saw some of the worst rioting between mobs that included Hindus as well as