Delhi Riots: CPI(M)’S Fact-Finding Team Holds Union Home Minister Amit Shah Responsible For Communal Violence

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CPIM's report holds Amit shah responsible for Delhi riots. Photo Credit-HW News

India Tomorrow

NEW DELHI—Union Home Minister Amit Shah is in the crosshairs of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) after its fact-finding team held him responsible for the communal violence in North East Delhi earlier this year.

Titled ‘Communal Violence in North East Delhi, February 2020’, the fact-finding report running into95 pages said the role of the home ministry under Amit Shah was in a substantial measure responsible for the escalation of the violence.

“It is incorrect to describe the communal violence as Delhi riots. ‘Riots’ describe a situation where both sides are equally participatory… However, the offensive was from the Hindutva mobs while the other side, in the main was desperately trying to save themselves from such attacks… In almost all areas, there is video evidence of the police siding with the Hindutva mobs,” said the report

The February riots had claimed 53 lives, of whom 40 were Muslim and 13 Hindu.  Delhi police have arrested several activists and students, who were a part of the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests, claiming that they hatched a “conspiracy” that led to the riots.

 “Before any investigation was done, the home minister laid down its findings (in the Lok Sabha on March 11). The subsequent investigation was only to substantiate and validate this narrative…then he went on to describe what he thought were the real hate speeches,” the report said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also figured in a witness statement, part of a supplementary charge sheet on the February riots, allegedly for “provoking and mobilizing” anti-CAA protesters.

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat and secretary KM Tewari led the preparation of the report. The party’s relief and rehabilitation solidarity the panel had interviewed 400 people.

“The question is when the violence erupted on February 24, why was the curfew not imposed? After all, why was the army not deployed? Even the number of Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel was extremely low and the deployment was done very late,” the report said.

It also alleged that the home minister dismissed the well-documented speeches by BJP leaders “that called for shooting traitors or alleging that members of the minority community will invade homes of Hindus to rape and kill.”

“He (Shah) said that Congress leaders gave hate speeches on December 14, 2019, at a rally calling upon people to come out onto the streets because it was a do-or-die battle. With this, he not only sought to build the version that it was really the opposition that incited violence but more significantly, he blamed the minority community for the violence,” the report said.

(The story has been written by Ishfaq-ul-Hassan)

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