Delhi riots were planned and targeted, there was deliberate inaction by police: Report

The riots in north-east Delhi in February this year were "planned and targeted" and not spontaneous while there was a "deliberate inaction over several days" from the part of police, which also "abetted the attacks", a fact-finding team appointed by the Delhi Minorities Commission has said in its report.

It also said the violence started immediately after BJP leader Kapil Mishra in which he openly called for forcefully removing the anti-CAA protesters at Jafrabad but the police failed to take the "first and foremost immediate preventive step" needed to avoid violence by arresting him. Delhi Police did not respond to the committee's notices.

At least 55 people were killed in the riots in north-east Delhi between February 23 and 26.

According to the report, different groups, mobs quickly fanned out to local areas after Mishra's speech carrying weapons and arms like petrol bombs, iron rods, gas cylinders, stones and firearms.

"Despite the open display of weapons and firearms, sufficient actions were not taken by the district administration or police to protect life and property," the report by the ten-member committee headed by senior Supreme Court lawyer M R Shamshad said.

It said that violence followed an "organised and systematic pattern" as mobs chanted pro-Hindutva slogans and "selectively attacked" Muslims, houses, shops, vehicles, mosques and other property. Victims told the panel that they could identify locals as well as outsiders among the perpetrators and some of them even made their way into their localities prior to the violence.

"The perpetrators positioned themselves strategically in the residential areas. This points to no 'spontaneity' as in the case of a riot. The testimonies reveal that the violence was planned and targeted," it said adding, in response Muslim youths pelted stones on the mobs in some places to "defend community and family members".

"Barring one incident, there have not been reports of Muslims being armed with weapons other than stones," it said.

Quoting testimonies, the report said police did not act even as violence unfolded and refused to intervene when approached citing that they do not have orders to do so.

"This suggests that the failure to prevent violence was not due to individual or sporadic breaches, but was a pattern of deliberate inaction over several days," it said.

The report accused the police of not enforcing prohibitory orders and did not exercise powers to disperse unlawful assemblies or to take measures to apprehend, arrest and detain those perpetrating violence.

"Police were also complicit and abetted attacks. Where police did act, victims state that police stopped their colleagues when they attempted to disperse the crowd (do not stop them). In some cases, they merely stood as onlookers while the mobs engaged in violence. In others, they explicitly gave a go ahead to the perpetrators to continue with rampage (do what you want)," it said.

The report also said that Muslim women faced attacks on the basis of their religion and their hijabs and burqas were pulled off.

"While the slogans of 'Azadi' (a cry for freedom from the discriminatory laws and practices) were used by the protesters, the police used the same chants of 'Azadi' to sexually harass women and attack them, including at least one incident of a police officer flashing his genitals in front of women protesters," it said. (ENDS)