The latest charge sheet filed in connection with the Delhi riots has made no mention of incendiary speeches by BJP leaders and laid the blame squarely on those protesting against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, at the time. As per reports in the national media, the police have nowhere mentioned the hate speeches by BJP leaders, including Kapil Mishra. The document only mentions the role of the protesters – students of Jamia Milia University, and those gathered at Shaheen Bagh and other places where protests against the CAA were on. This is shocking, considering the fact that leaders like Kapil Mishra and Anurag Thakur had made highly provocative statements leading upto the riots.
Mishra, known for his communal and incendiary tweets, had led a rally on 23 February in favour of the CAA in northeast Delhi’s Maujpur area. The spot was near Jaffrabad, where a protest was on. At the rally, he gave an ‘”ultimatum” to the Delhi Police to clear the roads in the area. Else, he said, they would have to hit the streets. Hours later, clashes had broken out between the two groups, which spiralled over the next few days. Around 50 people, most of them Muslims, died in the violence. Properties were also heavily damaged. Instead of arresting people like him and others who had played a clear role in the riots, the Delhi Police is selectively arresting anti-CAA and Muslim activists, accusing them of playing a part in the riot. Once a respected organization, the Delhi Police has exhibited clear bias in its probe of the Delhi riot. This is really unfortunate and will hurt the image of the institution. Also, the Muslim community will have trust deficit with the Delhi Police over the lack of justice. A sense of alienation is going to build up, and the members of the community will hesitate to approach the police in future.