Sitaram Yechury, Yogendra Yadav not charged in Delhi riots, clarifies Police
In the statement, Delhi Police sought to clarify that these high-profile names were part of a disclosure statement by one of the accused in riots case.
New Delhi: Hours after the huge political row over naming of Sitaram Yechury, Yogendra Yadav and few other noted personalities as co-conspirators in Delhi riots supplementary chargesheet, the Delhi Police on Sunday issued a statement denying any truth in the reports.
Delhi Police refuted the media reports and came out to clarify that it hadn’t named any politicians or academicians in the riots case.
“As far as tweet by a news agency regarding Delhi Police naming academicians & politicians in supplementary charge sheet of case related to Jaffrabad riots is concerned,it’s mentioned in one of online news agency report that names are part of disclosure statement of one of the accused in connection with organizing and addressing the Anti-CAA protests. It is worth mentioning that the disclosure statement has been truthfully recorded as narrated by the accused person,” reported Zee News citing it as Delhi Police statement.
In the statement, Delhi Police sought to clarify that these high-profile names were part of a disclosure statement by one of the accused in riots case. A person is not arraigned an accused only on the basis of disclosure statement, legal action can only be possible if there is sufficient corroborative evidence.
Delhi Police’s Rebuttal to the news item published in Indian Express dated 12.09.2020 captioned
Delhi riots: Police name Yechury, Yogendra Yadav, Jayanti Ghosh, in supplementary chargesheet . pic.twitter.com/ZvNgIFq8vH— #DilKiPolice Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) September 13, 2020
On Saturday, there was a big flutter in the political circles after the news spread that CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, Jayati Ghosh, an economist, Apoorvanand, activist and Delhi University professor, Chandrashekhar Ravan, Bhim Army President and several academicians.
The names of these eminent personalities cropped up in the chargesheet on the basis of the confessions of three students – women’s collective Pinjra Tod members and JNU students Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, and Gulfisha Fathima of Jamia Milia Islamia – in the Jafrabad violence, from where the riots spread to other parts of north-east Delhi.
Yechury lashed out at the central government after being named in the case.
“Delhi Police is under the Centre and Home Ministry. Its illegitimate, illegal actions are a direct outcome of the politics of BJP’s top leadership,” he said.
Yogendra Yadav called the report ‘factually incorrect”. He said that his and Yechury’s name were mentioned only in passing.
“Supplementary chargesheet does not mention me as co-conspirator or even as an accused,” he tweeted.
This is factually incorrect report, hope @PTI_News withdraws it.
Supplementary chargesheet does NOT mention me as co-conspirator, or even as accused. One passing reference to me and Yechury, in an unauthenticated police statement (not admissible in court) by one accused. https://t.co/QurXmQdOr2— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) September 12, 2020