Image Courtesy: ANI
Post the back-to-back firings on protesters agitating against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU)and Shaheen Bagh, the Election Commission has removed deputy commissioner of police, South-East Delhi, Chinmoy Biswal from his post.
The Election Commission said in a statement, “Chinmoy Biswal IPS (2008), DCP (South-East) stands relieved from his present post with immediate effect and shall report to MHA [ministry of home affairs].”
Citing “the ongoing situation” the poll body stated it has directed senior officer Kumar Gyanesh to take charge as the interim deputy commissioner of police. “The Ministry of Home Affairs or Delhi Commissioner of Police may, however, immediately send a panel of three names to the EC for posting a suitable officer as the regular DCP (South-East),” it added.
NDTV reported that sources in the poll body said that it had received a report on the law and order situation in the area on Sunday and it wasn’t satisfied with the steps taken by Mr. Biswal for the conduct of free and fair elections. Biswal had also been criticized for entering the Jamia campus and lathi-charging the students after the clashes between the police and anti-CAA protestors outside the campus.
Over the past week, the security situation in Delhi has worsened after a gunman shouting slogans of “Yeh lo azaadi!” shot at a student protester near Jamia on Thursday and another gunman, Kapil Gurjar, opened fire at Shaheen Bagh, where a women-led protest has been on for more than a month.
These attacks have come close on the heels of provocative slogans like by BJP leaders asking for the “traitors” (protesters of CAA) to be shot and the Delhi police’s inaction, especially in the Jamia firing incident has come into question.
Even before this, the Delhi police has used excessive force on the students of Jamia on December 15, 2019, where it entered the campus without permission from the University officials and fired tear gas shells at the student protesters and beat them up with lathis. The attack by the police had left several students injured and they had to be hospitalised.
The Delhi police was also accused of blatant apathy in the case of the attack on the students and faculty of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) by masked goons on January 5 this year, apart from being called out for lending its support to the mob that was attacking the students.
The Delhi police falls under the purview of the Central government and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the recent shootings.
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अमित शाह जी, ये आपने क्या हाल बना रखा है हमारी दिल्ली का। दिनदहाड़े गोलियां चल रहीं है। कानून व्यवस्था की खुलेआम धज्जियां उड़ाई जा रही है। चुनाव आते जाते रहेंगे, राजनीति भी चलती रहेगी, लेकिन दिल्ली के लोगों की ख़ातिर, कृपया कानून व्यवस्था ठीक करने पर ध्यान दीजिए। https://t.co/sMg2BedUsJ
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 1, 2020
In response, Yogi Adityanath, the CM of Uttar Pradesh who was campaigning for BJP for the Delhi Elections there, said, “Enemies of India, who speak the language of Pakistan, are creating disorder by protesting everywhere. Protests against CAA and a Pakistani minister releasing a statement in favour of Kejriwal, it all looks linked.”
With the Delhi Elections commencing soon, the shootings and the rising protests against the CAA have become a major poll issue. In the matter, BJP’s Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma were banned from campaigning for their communally charged hate speech.
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Another shooting at Jamia
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