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Delhi violence: Facebook skips hearing before Committee on Peace and Harmony

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Delhi violence

Facebook was a no-show at the hearing organised by the Delhi Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Peace and Harmony on September 15, 2020. This prompted the Committee to warn the social media giant that legal action would be taken against Facebook India, if it failed to answer the Committee’s summons a second time. 

The hearing had been organised to address Facebook’s alleged role in spreading communal violence during February 2020 riots that raged through North East Delhi.

On September 14, the Committee received a letter from Facebook India stating that it would not be answering the summons because it considered the subject matter to be “within the exclusive domain of the Union of India.” 

According to Chairperson Raghav Chadha, the letter was in contempt of the Delhi Legislative Assembly as well as of the people of Delhi. He noted that many witnesses on previous proceedings had talked about Facebook’s selective action in the implementation of its community standards. Many experts have talked about Facebook’s role in the Delhi riots. Accordingly, the Committee had planned to talk to Facebook India’s Vice-President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan during Tuesday’s proceeding.

However, a day before the proceeding, Facebook’s Trust and Safety Director, Vikram Langeh, asked the Legislative Assembly’s body to recall its notice. He said that the company had already talked to the Centre’s Standing Committee on Information and Technology about such issues during its enquiry on safeguarding citizens’ rights.

“As you are well aware, the regulations of intermediaries like Facebook falls within the exclusive authority of the Union of India and in exercise of this power to regulate communication the Parliament has enacted the Information Technology Act 2000. Further the subject of law and order in the national capital territory of Delhi also falls within the exclusive domain of the Union of India. Given that the issues raised by the notice involves subject matter within the exclusive domain of the Union of India and that the matters are under active consideration by the Parliament, we respectfully object to the notice and request you to recall it,” said Facebook in its response via a letter.

Additionally, the letter said that Facebook had removed 22.5 million pieces of hate speech content in the second quarter of 2020 most of which had not been reported till then.

However, Chadha said that the company’s refusal to appear before the Committee is an attempt to conceal facts in relation to Facebook’s role in the Delhi riots. He said the letter suggested that the company was hiding something, and that the allegation it faced may not be completely baseless.

“Wonder what kind of protection Facebook gets in the Centre’s proceedings that it prefers to be summoned by them and not by us,” Chadha wondered aloud.

He also went on to raise two concerns about the Director’s letter. Firstly, he clarified that the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCT) Act 1991, gave special privileges and powers to the Delhi Assembly that the company had explicitly breached and disregarded. Secondly, he said that the Centre’s proceedings looked into citizens’ rights and misuse of social online news media platforms. Thus, the topic discussed then was completely different from the concerns of the Committee on Peace and Harmony that sought to investigate the social media company’s alleged role in the communal violence that took place in North East Delhi earlier this year.

Chadha also expressed surprise that Facebook had refused to attend a Committee proceeding that was completely livestreamed on social media and therefore allowed complete transparency.

Even so, under principles of natural justice, the Committee gave the company a final chance to appear before them, failing which an investigation would be conducted against the company in accordance with the law.

The proceedings of the Committee on September 15, 2020 may be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGC1GRPZrbA&ab_channel=AamAadmiParty

 

 

 

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Bihar police shower bullets and lathis on Adivasis in Kaimur!

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Adivasis

In a rather outrageous incident of highhandedness of authorities over the vulnerable tribal communities, Bihar police fired at a democratically organised protest sit-in in Adhaura block of Kaimur District. Activists of Kaimur Mukti Morcha had staged a sit-in demonstration on September 10 and 11, 2020, to demand legal rights over water, forest and land. But the police administration and forest department did not listen to their demands and the activists locked the gates and forest department in a symbolic manner, to make their voices heard. But instead of engaging in a dialogue with the peaceful protestors, the police opened fire and lathi-charged the protesters!

Three people from Sarai Nar, Barkatta and Chafna were injured in the incident, while more than half a dozen people of Kaimur Mukti Morcha were arrested.  The police also broke locks of Kaimur Mukti Morcha office and conducted raids there.

About the movement

This struggle has been going on for decades when the “Kaimur Mukti Morcha” (Translated as: “Kaimur Freedom Movement”) was launched with the help of Dr. Vinayan who was also the founder member of the All India Union of Forest Working People (formerly known as National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers). 

The contribution of the movement has been praiseworthy, and has been acknowledged by the state government as well in the past. Though the Kaimur area was notorious for its Maoist presence in the past, it became free of Maoists after the organisation of Kaimur Mukti Morcha by Dr. Vinayan who advocated strictly democratic means such as peaceful dialogue. 

On the day of the peaceful protest, the members of Kaimur Mukti Morcha were making the following demands:

– the administrative reorganisation of Kaimur Pahar

– declaring Kaimur as a Scheduled area as per the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution

– implementing the Chhota Nagpur Kashtkari Act

– abolishing the Kaimur Pahar Forest Wildlife Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve

– Forest Rights Act 2006, along with Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 to be implemented effectively.

Precursor to the incident

In July as well, Kaimur Mukti Morcha had gathered around the office of the Block Development Officer to get their demands heard. This gathering saw thousands of villagers from various villages in Adhaura block expressing their anguish over the persistent nuisance caused by forest officials obstructing their daily lives and means of livelihood making life difficult for them during the lockdown.

Forest department’s atrocities

The forest department officials, since March, have been allegedly employing means like encroaching upon agricultural lands of these Adivasis with the intention of evicting them from villages of Adhaura block such as Gullu, Guiya, Dighar, Bahabar, Pipra, Sainagar, Sodha, Bahera, Dumrava, Sarainar. In Sarainar they allegedly destroyed all 50 houses of the villagers in a bid to evict them. In Gullu, the government officials including forest officials have been allegedly pressuring the villagers by digging pits on their farm lands under the grab of carrying out afforestation.

They have been citing afforestation as a reason to displace these forest dwelling Adivasis from these lands for several months. Kaimur Mukti Morcha is fighting against these unwarranted acts of the public officials that make earning a livelihood a struggle for these Adivasis. The authorities have also allegedly threatened members of Kaimur Mukti Morcha such as the Secretary Raja Lal Kharwar and Rajinder Oraon and few others, by issuing notices to them that they would be arrested by the CRPF. Some CRPF personnel even landed at a village meeting in Bahida village to allegedly create an atmosphere of terror in the villagers’ minds.

Civil society reacts

National Deputy General Secretary of All India Forest People’s Workers’ Union Roma strongly condemned the firing and said, “For more than 6 months, tribal societies have been raising their forest rights demands, but no one is ready to listen.” She said that the Forest Rights Act, 2006 has been in existence for 14 years but in Bihar, but it has not been implemented on ground. “Instead of listening and solving the problems of the tribals, the police have responded with batons and firing. This shows its ruthless attitude towards the weaker sections,” said Roma.

The leading human rights organisation Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) has also condemned the incident of firing. CJP Secretary Teesta Setalvad, “Firing on Dalits and Adivasis who were demanding their rights is a cruel act and is a violation of the Constitution.” Others who raised their voice and condemned the incident include Bundelkhand Dalit Adivasi Adhikar Abhiyan; Sokalo Gond, President of Kaimur Mazdoor Kisan Mahila Sangarsh Samiti and Nivada Rana of Tharu Adivasi Mahila Kisan Mazdoor Manch.

 

The Press Release of AIUFWP may be read here.

 

Related:

AIUFWP writes to Collector against forest authorities in Bihar violating the Forest Rights Act

Bihar Adivasis revive the call for ‘Jal-Jungle -Zameen’

Desperate Times Now, desperate measures

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Times Now

On Monday night, Times Now, a channel now infamous for making a mockery of journalism on a daily basis, put its foot in its mouth yet again, when it broadcast a ‘secret tape’ where several well-known human rights activists were seen and heard decrying the activities of Muslim extremist groups. The only problem was that this was not a ‘secret tape’ as claimed by the channel, but a publicly available Facebook Live broadcast where all activists were speaking openly, knowing full well that thousands of people could see and hear them!

Truth is that the footage is from a publicly broadcast webinar titled Reclaiming Freedom of Speech and Liberty in Times of Intensified State Aggression and Repression organised by Pedestrian Pictures and Counter Currents on August 16, 2020. In this webinar, Swaraj India Party member Zia Nomani shared how he was present outside the police station in a bid to control an angry mob that attacked an MLA’s home in Bengaluru on August 11, when the MLA’s nephew Naveen posted objectionable content about Prophet Mohammed’s family on Facebook. 

Two organisations, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI), have often been accused of radicalising impressionable Muslim youth and encouraging them to adopt violent means. These groups were also accused of planning and executing the attack on the Bengaluru MLA’s house. Nomani said that the crowd could not be controlled as they had been radicalised by hardline Muslim groups and that this was dangerous and must be condemned.

To this human rights activist and journalist Teesta Setalvad said, “I admire your honesty and integrity but I only want to add two points…Whenever there is such a tendency developing among Muslims, we can’t [counter it] with bitterness…I will only say this much for now that SDPI and PFI remain problematic for people like us – Communalism Combats, CJP, Sabrang India – we have taken a public stand not to share a platform with them. People who consider themselves Left, should also stand against them.”

But all of this was used by Times Now to suggest that while activists agreed in private that Muslim extremist groups were dangerous, in public they supported such groups… a claim that is both baseless and absurd.  

The ‘secret tape’ was broadcast by Times Now in its show India Upfront, a day after the arrest of activist Dr. Umar Khalid in connection with the February 2020 Delhi violence. In fact, the channel made a facile attempt to link Umar Khalid to PFI. Also, many of the panelists were invited after being told this is a programme on Umar Khalid’s arrest, as evidenced by Mr. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta’s shock at the manner in which the show was twisted to showcase the ‘secret tape’. Thus, it appears there may have been an element of deception in this context as well. The channel even trended a special hashtag #UmarLobbySecretTape to promote the show, where anchor Rahul Shivshankar dutifully berated the activists for being members of the “Left Lutyens Lobby” and claimed that the same activists who support Umar Khalid accepted in secret that organisations like SDPI and PFI, were radicalising Muslim youth and that this was dangerous.

 

 

We urge people to watch the entire Facebook Live and make up their own minds instead of falling for drivel generated by channels like Times Now. In the webinar, Zia Nomani talks about PFI at 2:40:52 and Ms. Setalvad responds at 2:49:45
 

Also, Zia Nomani had also spoken to SabrangIndia soon after the Bengaluru violence stating categorically that he does not support radical organisations like PFI. The entire interview may be read here.

 

Related:

Bengaluru riot: 3 dead, journalists beaten up by cops, vehicles gutted

Karnataka CM invokes UAPA against Bengaluru rioters

To ban or not to ban: K’taka cabinet yet to decide SDPI-PFI fate

Is BJP’s Kapil Mishra above the law of the land?

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Kapil Mishra

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician, its chief conspiracy theorist and hate speech maker from Delhi, Kapil Mishra, has once again pronounced the verdict and sentence on the on–going investigations into the February 2020 North East Delhi communal violence.

Soon after the arrest of activist Dr Umar Khalid, Mishra got to work as expected. His social media post read, “In Delhi, people like Omar Khalid, Tahir Hussain, Khalid Saifi, Safura Zargar, Apoorvanand planned and massacred with preparation.” He called the Delhi riots, where innocents citizens, many Muslims and some Hindus were killed, injured, displaced a “terrorist attack like 26/11” likening it to the Mumbai attack.  

Of course, Mishra had named those he blamed earlier and called for their deaths stating, “These terrorists, killers should be hanged”, adding his personal “Congratulations” to the Delhi Police, for good measure.

 

 

Kapil Mishra posted a video, shot inside a car, making the demands. Mishra said, “I have full faith that criminals like Umar Khalid and Tahir Hussain will be hanged, imprisoned for life, for killing people. The citizens of Delhi await justice.” The video went viral as expected. 

Activist and former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Dr. Umar Khalid was arrested by the Delhi Police on Sunday night, after nearly 11 hours of questioning, and charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Many activists, students, senior IPS officers, and ordinary citizens have all expressed solidarity with Dr. Khalid and other activists who had previously protested the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and are now being questioned, and arrested in relation to the investigation into the February 2020 violence.

However, Kapil Mishra, has continued making hate speeches and accusations as always. Social media users also uploaded videos to remind him of how, encouraged by his own speech, Hindutva groups roamed the streets calling for violence.

 

 

These including journalists who once again uploaded February images and reportage from North East Delhi, where they clearly heard and recorded hate slogans such as, “Goli maaro ___ ko” & “Hindustan mein rehna hoga toh jai shri ram kehna hoga” SLOGANS being raised in front of the cops here where stone pelting happened.”

 

 

An anonymous user, uploaded a heartbreaking video of the grieving father of Rahul Solanki who was killed in Delhi riots named Kapil Mishra as provoking riots. He said “Protests were going peaceful for months but Kapil Mishra provoked and burnt Delhi which took my son’s life” 

 

 

However, Mishra remains immune to any criticism, nor does he seem to have any regard for the law, or fear of law enforcing authorities. His confidence stems from the fact that he continues to be ignored by Delhi Police, and has not been named in any investigation by them.

The most circulated video of Kapil Mishra issuing an ultimatum to Delhi police and suggesting that his people would take the law into their own hands should the police fail to evict anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters from near the Jafrabad metro station, was even played before the Delhi High Court. The video was played as the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was representing the government of India, had claimed that he had not seen the video. Justice Murlidhar who was hearing the matter then insisted that the video be played before the court. After the video was played and Mishra could be seen delivering the ultimatum while standing next to a uniformed policeman, the identity of the policeman in the frame was also revealed to be DCP (NE) Ved Prakash Surya. No action was taken against Mishra even after that.  

Misra had previously been stripped of his ministerial portfolio, and later sacked by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He joined BJP in August 2019, months after he had openly shown his right wing affiliations and campaigned against the AAP. Ironically, the AAP too has remained silent on Mishra’s continuing communal hate speech and allegations, all of which have the potential of creating communal disturbances even now in Delhi. 

Even though Mishra is yet to be officially ‘rewarded’ by the BJP with either an election ticket, nomination to a political post, or an appointment to any statutory body, he continues creating controversy, perhaps in the hope of being recognised by the top leadership one day. For now, the fact that he is allowed to escape any legal consequences, is his reward. 

Related: 

Hate Speech by BJP’s Top Brass fuelled Build Up to Delhi Violence: Minorities Commission

Delhi violence: Is Kapil Mishra the villain of the story?  

BJP’s Kapil Mishra says ‘shoot the traitors’ at pro-CAA rally 

Umar Khalid arrested by Delhi Police Special Cell

 

Retired civil servants move SC; seek authoritative meaning of ‘hate speech’

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Sudarshan News

An intervention application has been filed by seven retired civil servants before the Supreme Court seeking injunction against telecast of a communally inflammatory show on Sudarshan News, which allegedly speaks of “conspiracy of infiltration by Muslims in Indian civil services”.

The Supreme Court had, on August 28, refused to pass an injunction prohibiting broadcast of the show and had issued notices to Union of India, Press Council of India, News Broadcasters Association as well as Sudarshan News; returnable on September 15.

The Delhi High Court had granted stay with directions to the Centre to make a decision in this regard. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued an order on September 9 allowing the broadcast of the show and on September 11, the show called “Bindaas Bol” was telecast on Sudarshan News. The topic of the show was “Naukarshahi me Muslamano ki Ghuspaith ke shadyantra ka bada khulasa” (The conspiracy behind Muslim infiltration in UPSC – The Big Reveal).

The Supreme Court bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and KM Joseph had noted during the hearing that expression of views derogatory to a particular community had a “divisive potential” and the petition had thus raised significant issues bearing on the protection of constitutional rights.

A collective called Constitutional Conduct Group, of which the civil servants are a part, had written to the Home Minister and the Minister of Information and Broadcasting stating that the program would “generate hatred towards the largest minority community of the country,” and was based on the demonstrable falsehoods about the supposed growth of Muslim representation of the civil services, reported LiveLaw.

The intervenors have submitted that they are intervening since the Court had mentioned that it would consider the larger questions dealing with the balance between the freedom of speech and the right of every citizen to fair and equal treatment.

“It is respectfully submitted that this is an important and urgent judicial task. There exist several legal provisions that prohibit, criminalise or otherwise penalise what is colloquially known as “hate speech”. These include sections 153A and 153B of the Indian Penal Code, section 3(i)(x) of the SC & ST Act, Section 5 of the Cinematograph Act and the Programme Code which is passed under the authority of the Cable Regulation Network Act, and which is at issue in the present case,” states the application.

The application states that the apex court ought to give an authoritative meaning to “hate speech” so that the authorities implementing it receive clarity on what speech comes within its ambit. “The interpretative task before this Hon’ble Court therefore is to distinguish between speech that is merely offensive, indecorous or in bad taste [and therefore covered by Article 19(1)(a)] and hate speech that is rightly penalised by Articles 153A & B and the other provisions pointed out above,” the plea reads.

The intervenors have put forth certain propositions for consideration of the Supreme Court:

a. Offensive speech is distinct from hate speech;

b. The Constitutional protects offensive speech but does not protect hate speech. Penal provisions such as sections 153A & 153 B of the IPC must be interpreted in a manner that keeps the distinction between the two intact.

c. Offensive speech is simply speech that causes subjective feelings of offence or outrage and nothing more. Such speech may be ill-considered, unwise and improper but it is not illegal.

d. Hate speech goes beyond subjective feelings of offence and objectively has the effect of undermining constitutional constitutional equality, sending a message that a person or a group of people are not worthy of equal concern of respect and are not equal members of society, or are fair game for discrimination, hostility or violence.

e. Determining hate speech, therefore, requires a contextual enquiry by judicial and other State bodies, looking (a) the actual words used, (b) the meanings that they carry for their intended recipients, (c) any history of similar language, (d) and the likely consequences.

f. Hate speech can be direct (calls to violence and discrimination), but it can also be indirect, through, insinuation, and what is popularly known as dog-whistling. This, therefore, requires judicial bodies to be sensitive to the nuances and specific histories of the speech in question.

g. The distinction between offensive speech and hate may be parsed with the help of following examples:

i) Criticism, mockery and ridicule of respected and revered religious or cultural gures may be offensive but it is not hate speech. Calling for a boycott of the members of a religious or cultural community or implying that they are violent by nature or unpatriotic by virtue of their community alienation is hate speech

ii) Mockery of religious beliefs or traditions may be offensive but it is not hate speech. Accusations of dual loyalties towards members of any faith – and suggestions of treachery by virtue of belonging to that faith – constitutes hate speech.

iii) Speech that has historically been inseparable from practices of oppression and subordination is hate speech (see eg. of this Hon’ble Court’s examination of the use the word “chamar”, under the Prevention of Atrocities Act, in Swaran Singh Vs. State).

Related:

Prime Minister is paying attention: Suresh Chavhanke on ‘UPSC_Jihad’ show

No stay on broadcast of Sudarshan News ‘UPSC Jihad’ show; Delhi HC issues notice

Centre allows Sudarshan News to air controversial #UPSCJihad show

Stop filing chargesheet based on fabricated evidence, false confessions: PUCL 

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ilmmakers, and social activists Rahul Roy, Saba Dewan questioned by Delhi Police

Filmmakers, and social activists Rahul Roy, Saba Dewan questioned by Delhi Police Special Cell for over eight hours on Monday reporte Scroll, and others. According to news reports citing police sources, the two filmmaker’s names came up while probing North East Delhi riots of February 2020. The Delhi Police Special Cell questioned them on Monday in connection with the North East Delhi communal violence, and can ask them to return for further questioning if needed. They may also be asked to “join investigations”. News reports quoted police sources who said the two were asked about their “presence at anti-CAA protests.”

“They were called for questioning at 1 p.m. and were allowed to go at 8 p.m. If required they will be again asked to join the investigation,” added  another officer.

The two filmmakers were called a day after former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Dr. Umar Khalid was arrested under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), for his alleged role in the riots. On Saturday, the Delhi Police had filed a supplementary chargesheet in connection with the communal violence that broke out in North East Delhi in February 2020. In what appears to be yet another desperate attempt to drag known dissenters into the case, police have named activists, academics and even leaders from the other end of the political spectrum in this supplementary chargesheet based on ‘disclosure statements’ of accused already in custody.

The supplementary chargesheet names Delhi University professor Apoorvanand, documentary filmmaker Rahul Roy, economist Prof. Jayati Ghosh, activist Dr. Umar Khalid, and senior politicians Sitaram Yechury of CPI (M) and Yogendra Yadav (Swaraj Abhiyaan). As reported by SabrangIndia earlier, it is noteworthy that shortly after a news agency tweeted that the above-mentioned people had been named as co-conspirators, Delhi Police was forced to play on the backfoot and issue a statement clarifying that Yechury, Yadav and Ghosh were not named as either accused or co-conspirators. “It is clarified that Shri Sitaram Yechury, Shri Yogendra Yadav and Smt Jayati Ghosh have not been arraigned as accused in the supplementary chargesheet filed by Delhi Police,” stated the Police. These names have a certain recall value as people who have never shied away from calling out the regime’s misgovernance, and dragging them into the case on any pretext can be viewed as an attempt to pin the blame for the violence on those who were peacefully protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR).

On Tuesday, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), an independent, voluntary human rights body which was founded during the Emergency by Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Kripalani and others and led by prominent jurists/ academics like Justice Tarkunde, Justice Sachar, Shri Kannabiran, Prof. Rajni Kothari and Prof. Prabhakar Sinha, amongst others, wrote to SN Srivastava, Commissioner, Delhi Police asking him to “urgently stop the motivated and malicious investigation and carry out a bona fide investigation into the violence in North East Delhi.” 

They have asked the police to “stop filing of charge sheet on the basis of fabricated evidence and false confessions in the conspiracy case made out in FIR number 59/2020.” They recalled that the FIR was originally registered on March 6, 2020, by an officer of the Crime Branch, based solely on ‘information’ by an unnamed informant under sections of the IPC 147/148/149/120B, relating to conspiracy, for unlawful assembly and rioting among others was then pumped up. “It is matter of great alarm the manner in which Delhi police is trying to beef up an otherwise hollow foundation and has added charges which include 19 IPC Sections – 120 (B) read with 302, 307, 124 (A), 153 A, 109, 114, 147, 148, 149, 186, 212, 353, 395, 427, 435, 436, 452, 34 – and sections 3 & 4 of the PDPP Act, sections 25 & 27 of the Arms Act and sections 13, 16, 17, 18 of the UAPA” stated PUCL. The charge-sheet in this matter is to be filed before September 17, 2020.” 

They listed major concerns regarding the investigation under FIR 59/20, and sought the Commissioner’s  urgent intervention. They write that a “false theory of conspiracy by all those who were part of the movement against Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAA).” They state that “Chargesheets like the latest Supplementary charge-sheet in FIR No. 50/2020, Jafrabad Police station shows the motivated investigation that the Delhi police have indulged in.” 

“The frequent clubbing of the  terms ‘anti CAA Protestor / rioter’ in the chargesheet shows a predetermined mindset of the Delhi police to project every law abiding citizen, who in exercise of their fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression and in the performance of their fundamental duties to defend the country and its Constitution, protested against an unjust law,” stated the PUCL.

PUCL has reiterated that the WhatsApp group, named ‘Delhi Protest Solidarity Group’ (DPSG), consisted of a motley group of people, who were there with a simple objective as citizens to support a people’s movement. They are alarmed that this “is being made out to be some dangerous hub of this alleged criminal conspiracy. Discussions on this group are being taken out of context and being presented as a part of the ‘sinister’ plan to provoke violence.”

The PUCL has urged Delhi Police Commissioner to “uphold sanctity of due process, conduct a fair and just investigation, as mandated by the law, CrPC and the Delhi Police rules.” asking him to “ensure a fair and just investigation into the violence that shook Northeast Delhi in end February, 2020 so that the real perpetrators are brought to book.”

The entire letter may be read here: 

 

Related:

More activists named in riots case: Delhi Police getting desperate?

Umar Khalid arrested by Delhi Police Special Cell

Police need to stop criminalising the anti CAA protests: Prof. Apoorvanand

Nine more former police officers dub Delhi violence investigation ‘flawed’

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Delhi violence

Nine more former IPS officers have written an open letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner, S.N. Shrivastava, drawing attention to the many ways in which they believe that the investigation into the Delhi riots of February, 2020, are ‘flawed.’

The letter is signed by Shafi Alam (former Director General, National Crime Records Bureau), K. Saleem Ali (former Special Director, CBI), Mohinderpal Aulakh (former Director General of Police (Jails), Punjab), A.S. Dulat (former OSD on Kashmir, Prime Minister’s Office), Aloke B. Lal (former Director General (Prosecution), Uttarakhand), Amitabh Mathur (former Director, Aviation Research Centre and former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat), Avinash Mohananey (former Director General of Police, Sikkim), P.G.J. Nampoothiri (former Director General of Police, Gujarat) and A.K. Samanta (former Director General of Police (Intelligence), West Bengal).

The nine former top cops are all part of the Constitutional Conduct Group, under the aegis of which retired officers belonging to the various services often take up matters of public interest and welfare. The policemen begin the letter by saying that their fellow CCG-member, and famed former IPS officer, Julio, Ribeiro, is also one that has their endorsement.

 “Kindly revisit the actions of the police under your command in Delhi to determine if they have been true to their oaths taken at the time of their induction into service,” the Ribeiro had written in the letter. The police officers have dubbed the investigation into the riots “partisan and politically motivated.”

“…[W]e would like to say that it indeed is a sad day in the history of Indian police that investigations and challans submitted in the court by Delhi Police in connection with riots of this year are widely believed to be partisan and politically motivated. It pains all those police officers, serving as well as retired, who believe in upholding the rule of law and our Constitution.”

The officers have also made mention of what the Indian Express had first reported and what the Delhi police had then attempted to deny: the fact that Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Praveer Ranjan has written to senior police officers heading probe teams that the arrest of “some Hindu youth” from areas in North-East Delhi, where the Delhi riots took place in February, has led to a “degree of resentment among the Hindu community”.

The letter states:

“We were sad to note that one of your Special Commissioners had tried to influence investigations claiming resentment among Hindus over the arrest of some rioters belonging to their community. Such a majoritarian attitude in the police leadership leads to a travesty of justice for the victims of violence and their family members belonging to minority communities. This would further mean that real culprits of the violence belonging to majority community are likely to go scot free.”

Notably, BJP leaders Kapil Mishra and Parvesh Verma and Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur are among those who have not been named in a single FIR. The former was found responsible for triggering the violence by a fact finding team of the Delhi Minority Commission.

The policemen also held that the practice followed by Delhi Police in investigating these crimes, that of basing investigations on alleged confessions, is violative of fair investigation practices.

“What pains us more is implicating all those who spoke and joined protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). They were simply exercising their fundamental rights of freedom of speech and peaceful protests as guaranteed by the Constitution. Basing investigations on “disclosures” without concrete evidence violates all principles of fair investigation. While implicating leaders and activists, who expressed their views against CAA, all those who instigated violence and are associated with the ruling party have been let off the hook.

“Such investigation will only make people lose faith in democracy, justice, fairness and the Constitution. A dangerous thought that may ultimately shake the pillars of an orderly society and lead to breakdown of law and order.

In cinclusion, , they request reinvestigation with fairness.

“We would, therefore, earnestly request you for reinvestigation of all riot cases fairly and without any bias based on sound principles of criminal investigations to provide justice to the victims and their families and for upholding the rule of law.”

The letter came on a day when social activist and JNU scholar Umar Khalid was arrested after a grueling 11 hour investigation and several brazen attempts before to target him.

The letter may be read here:

Delhi violence

 

 

Related:

Northeast Delhi violence: Policeman from ‘national anthem’ video questioned

‘Delhi Police Has No Evidence So It’s Resorting to Fabricated Statements’: Umar 

Why do investigations into the Delhi riots appear to be a conspiracy in itself?

Shrey Hospital Fire: Civil society demands CBI inquiry

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Shrey

 

Over 300 activists, students and ordinary citizens of Ahmedabad had expressed solidarity with families of victims of the Shrey Hospital fire, where eight people had been killed when a fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital on August 6, 2020.

In a statement of solidarity, the signatories some of whom are also friends and neighbours of victims, say, “While the fire broke out reportedly due to a electrical short circuit, the inadequacy and non-adherence to standard fire safety mechanisms in the hospital, and the lack of evidence for any standard procedure of rescue having been initiated strengthens the suspicion that the hospital may have been criminally liable for the deaths of the unfortunate victims.”

They further say, “For a fire of this nature, which took the lives of 8 helpless patients, which is likely to have occurred due to wilful negligence of fire safety rules and procedures, the charges should have been far more stringent.” They add, “We feel that section 304 of the CrPC should have been invoked, and the failure of the police not to have done so raise(s) serious questions regarding their intent to do a free and fair investigation. There seems to be a conspiracy to get the hospital management off the hook.”

They demand, “In these circumstances we join and support the families of the victims in their demand for a transfer of the investigation of this case to the CBI.”

The entire statement may be read here: 

 

 

Related:

Shrey Hospital Fire: The curious case of the missing phones

Shrey Hospital case: Victims’ families demand CBI inquiry

Ayesha Tirmizi was recovering when her life was cut short

8 killed in Ahmedabad Covid-19 Hospital Fire 

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