Image Courtesy:indiafacts.org
In a strongly worded letter to Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava, former Mumbai top cop Julio Riberio has slammed him for his failure to ensure a fair probe into the communal violence that broke out in February 2020 in North East Delhi.
Ribeiro, a former IPS officer with a formidable reputation as a policeman and thereafter a civil rights activist, minced no words as he took the Delhi Police to task for taking “action against peaceful protestors but deliberately failed to register cognizable offences against those who made hate speeches which triggered the riots” adding, “why Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma have not been arraigned before the Courts of law while deeply-hurt Muslim women, peacefully protesting against discriminations based on religion, were lodged for months together in jail!”
He also pointed out the “The not-so-subtle attempt by the Delhi Police to entangle true patriots, like Harsh Mander and Prof. Apoorvanand, in criminal cases is another matter for concern,” before reminding the police chief of his duties.
The entire letter may be read here:
It is noteworthy that fact-finding reports by many civil society groups and activists have shed light on instances of complicity of policemen by acts of omission or commission in fanning the communal flames. Amnesty International has asked for an independent review of the role of the Delhi Police in the riots.
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