Markaz link to Delhi riots: School owner Farooque was in touch with radical groups, says chargesheet

New Delhi: Delhi Police Crime Branch on Wednesday filed a chargesheet in a Karkardooma court related to Faisal Farooque, the owner of Rajdhani School, in connection with the violence in Shiv Vihar during the north-east Delhi riots in February.

In the chargesheet, the Crime Branch named Faisal Farooque and 17 others for hatching a conspiracy to “precipitate and aggravate riots, in and around Rajdhani School.”

The charge sheet was filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Richa Parihar against Faisal Farooque (owner of Rajdhani School in Shiv Vihar locality) and others for allegedly conspiring with Popular Front of India, Pinjratod group, Jamia Coordination Committee and Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz for creating riots, in and around his school.

Several members of these organisations have already been charge sheeted in other cases arising out of the riots.

Rioters camped inside school, used it as base

According to the chargesheet, the rioters had camped inside the school and fired bullets, threw petrol bombs, acid, bricks, stones, and other missiles using an improvised large iron catapult, specially installed for the purpose, from its terrace.

“The rioters had used ropes to climb down from the terrace of Rajdhani School into the compound of DRP Convent School and then the mob had set the school on fire. The mob had looted the computers and other expensive items from DRP Convent School. They also burned down a building belonging to Anil Sweets in front of Rajdhani School,” the chargesheet said.

“Dilbar Negi, an employee with Anil Sweets, was trapped inside and his charred dead body was found later by the police. Eighteen people, including Faisal Farooque, who is the owner of Rajdhani School, have been arrested in this case,” it added.

Both DRP Convent School and Rajdhani School are adjacent to each other.

“On Farooque’s instructions, the adjacent and rival DRP Convent School, 2 parking lots run by the other party and the building of Anil Sweets was systematically destroyed by the mob,” the charge sheet said.

The charge sheet was filed under various sections of the IPC for the offences including attempt to murder (307), rioting (147 and 148), Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc. (153-A), criminal conspiracy (120-B) and dacoity (395) and various sections of Arms Act.

Farooque was in touch with radical Islamic clerics

It said that Farooque’s call detail was also analyzed and his links with prominent members of Popular Front of India, Pinjratod group, Jamia Coordination Committee, Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz and some other fundamental Muslim clerics were discovered.

This chargesheet, the police said, had been substantiated on the basis of the security guards of the DRP convent school as well as Farooque’s Rajdhani School.

In February, clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi between the groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which led to the deaths of at least 53 people.