Amit Shah warns of 'strictest action against those involved in Delhi riots

Assuring the Lok Sabha of taking “strictest action” against all those who were involved in the communal violence in parts of the Northeast Delhi irrespective of their religion and community, Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said recoveries for the damage of the properties will be made from those participated in arson and vandalism.

Amid vociferous demands from the Opposition members for an independent judicial probe into riots, Shah also informed the House has that his ministry has written to Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel requesting for establishment of a Claims Commission for relief and rehabilitation of victims.

“Those who have set the properties on fire will be caught and their entire property will be attached. They will not be spared,” Shah told the Lok Sabha while replying to a heated debate on Delhi violence during which several Opposition members demanded that Home Minister should resign taking moral responsibility of his failure to stop the communal violence immediately.

Shah lauded the Delhi police for “successfully” containing the communal riots in 36 hours in parts of Northeast Delhi and not letting it spread to other parts of the Delhi, categorically rejecting the charge that some of the police personnel were seen targetting the Minority community members.

“Police was not with the rioters. They were pelting stones to disperse the rioting,” he said.

The Home Minister expressed grief over the loss of lives and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families, saying he wants to assure them that no one who was involved in the riots will be spared.

Shah told the Lok Sabha that there was a “well-planned conspiracy” to orchestrate the communal riots based on the evidences collected by Delhi police. Two special investigation teams have been formed under senior police officers to investigate the riots and a case of conspiracy has been registered.

“More than 300 people had come from Uttar Pradesh to perpetrate violence. The face recognition data that we have got from the Uttar Pradesh proves that it was a deep conspiracy,” he added.

As Shah told the House that these rioters managed to sneak in the Northeast Delhi from the Uttar Pradesh even as the border was sealed on February 24, Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan rose from his seat asking the Home Minister not to mislead the nation, and staged a walk out along with his party members in protest.

The Home Minister also gave a reminder of 1984 anti-sikh riots to Congress, alleging that most of the riots have taken place in the country during Congress regime and 76% of the right deaths happened when the Congress was in power.

Giving an account iof the action taken by Delhi police so far, the Shah told the members that more than 700 FIRs have been registered so far and a total of 2,647 people have been detained or arrested.

He said face recognition software were being used to identify the rioters from the CCTV footage and other footage, and more than 1100 people have so far been been identified. A total of 40 police teams have been formed to arrest those rioters.