Indian activists say police fabricated charge sheets in Delhi riots case
Activists and victims of religious violence that erupted in the Indian capital of New Delhi in February have accused police of filing “false and politically motivated charge sheets” against them instead of going after the real culprits.
“They are trying to frame protesters who were part of the democratic movement against the controversial citizenship law,” Kawalpreet Kaur, a member of the All India Students Association (AISA) and one of the student leaders named in the charge sheets, told Arab News on Thursday.
“They are blaming protestors for (the) riots. There is no relation between protestors and Delhi violence. Nowhere in my protest speeches (have) I said anything that they are blaming me for. The charges are false and motivated,” she continued.
More than 88 charge sheets were filed against political activists, students and civilians by Delhi police for participating in what were essentially religiously motivated clashes in the northeastern capital that claimed more than 50 lives, mostly Muslims.
“The police have entered false stories based on speculation,” Kaur added.
Violence erupted in the Indian capital in February after counter protests were organized by members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the ongoing nationwide agitation over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), that grants citizenship to minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh including Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Buddhists and
Jains, but excluding Muslims.
The CAA is part of the government’s proposed program of introducing a National Register of Citizens (NRC). Muslims fear that if they are not included in the NRC they will be declared stateless citizens.
Since December 2019, there has been a nationwide campaign against the CAA. Delhi became the focal point of resistance against the first mass protests against the Narendra Modi government.
Members of the ruling BJP started a campaign against the CAA protestors that led to February’s violent clashes in Delhi.
“The Delhi riots in 2020 were pre-planned and targeted. Police action is also pre-planned. The police blame a certain community which, in fact, was the victim as a vast majority of those killed or injured, or whose property and houses of worship were looted and burned, belonged to one community (Muslims),” the chief of the Delhi Minority Commission, Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, told Arab News.
FASTFACT
Religious violence erupted in New Delhi in February claiming more than 50 lives, mostly Muslims.