Influential Group Demands Action Against Delhi Cops Who ‘Framed Hindus’ in Jahangirpuri Violence
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Clashes broke out in the predominantly Muslim neighbourhood of Jahangirpuri in Delhi on 16 April when a procession commemorating the Hindu god Hanuman's birth anniversary was allegedly targeted by locals. Several cops were injured while trying to control the violence. A total of 36 people have been arrested as part of the ongoing probe.
A top Hindu organisation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), has called on Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana to initiate an enquiry against “some cops” who have been trying to “frame innocent Hindus” in the ongoing investigation around sectarian clashes that took place in the north-western neighbourhood of Jahangirpuri on 16 April.
“Over the past few years, some officers in the Delhi Police have been harming the reputation of the entire force”, VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal told Sputnik on Monday.
The VHP is an ideological ally of India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party and one of the three organisations which comprise the Hindu nationalist "Sangh Parivar" ("Family"), the others being the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The RSS is the ideological parent of the federally governing BJP.
“The ongoing probe into the Jahangirpuri case has once again brought to light the biased nature of these officials”, added Bansal, as he went on to accuse the investigators of showing partiality against Hindu activists.
“We warn these police officials to not frame the Hindus”, the activist demanded.
Bansal also slammed the police for “lying” in court that the VHP didn’t seek “permission” from the police before taking out its religious procession through Jahangirpuri on 16 April.
He said that the VHP had shared a “list of processions” which were to be held on 16 and 17 April well in advance with two local police stations. He said that he had the records of chats on the WhatsApp messenger to back the claim.
“We were never told that the processions had been cancelled. Only the procession which was to be taken out through Shahdara (a nearby suburb) on 17 April (after the violence on 16 April) had been cancelled by the police”, Bansal claimed.
The VHP spokesperson asked why there were three policemen marching with the procession on 16 April if the police authorities hadn’t approved of it.
“Some police officials are trying to wash their hands of the episode. They sent only three cops to guarantee the security of a procession comprising around 1,000 Hindus”, Bansal claimed.
The remarks by Bansal come a day after a district court in Delhi slammed the police for their “utter failure” in what they called an “unauthorised” procession that mothballed into clashes between Hindus and Muslims in the lower-middle class neighbourhood.
“The liability on the part of the officials concerned needs to be fixed so that in the future, no such incident takes place and police are not complacent in preventing illegal activities”, Additional Sessions Judge Gagandeep Singh stated during a hearing in the case.
The court’s observation came after an admission by the Delhi Police that no permission had been given to the organisers to take out the march through the predominantly Muslim neighbourhood.
The investigators, at the same time, have accused some Muslim residents of Jahangirpuri of attacking the religious procession, which ultimately led to communal clashes.
The police have also justified their conduct on 16 April, arguing that a “large crowd” had already gathered for the procession and dispersing the people could have “created law and order problems”.
“As soon as the clashes broke out, police controlled the situation in minimum possible time and ensured no casualty took place. Both the groups were immediately separated and as the stone and bottle-pelting started, police officials stood like a wall and dispersed the crowd instantly”, the Delhi Police said.
Bansal has squarely accused the Muslim residents of Jahangirpuri of attacking the Hindu procession in a “pre-planned manner”.
“They had organised themselves by stockpiling stones, swords and other weapons in the mosque. They began attacking the Hindu devotees as soon as the procession passed in front of the mosque”, claimed Bansal.
Muslim organisations and families of those arrested argue that there were “miscreants” present in the procession who hurled verbal abuse at Muslims and threatened locals with swords when asked to stop such sloganeering.
