It’s been a year since the news channels flashed the violence erupted in the streets of North-East Delhi, leaving behind so many to mourn and miss their loved ones. The protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and non-existing National Register of Citizens (NRC) began on 14th, Dec 2019 where few Muslim women gathered in Shaheen Bagh. From the next day itself, there were traces of violence. Amanatullah Khan, an MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi’s Sunni Waqf Board chief was spotted leading the riots in Jamia Nagar with the Muslim mob. Buses were also set on fire during those violent protests. On the same night, the Delhi Police cracked down on the Jamia Milia Islamia University and entered the campus to flush out the miscreants. In January and February, the protestors gathered on the streets of Shaheen Bagh and grew in number resulting in the blockade of the roads. However, the media showed that the people were driven by the cause – the fear of losing their identity. They were fed that the government will throw them out of this country after Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 came into existence. Muslims in large number shouted “Hume Chahiye Azadi”,” Allah-hu-Akbar”. Every day new political figures like Ladeeda, Sharjeel Imam, Afreen Fatima, Delhi AISA President Kawalpreet Kaul, Aishi Ghosh, Umar Khalid, Ayesha Rena emerged on the stage, teaching them the “alif bay pay” of the CAA and non-existing law of NRC. Few of the leaders like Alka Lamba, Medha Patekar, Harsh Mander, CPI Leader Atul Kumar, Ayub Zeeshan, Arundhati Roy, Rajya Sabha MP Javed Ali, Yogendra Yadav and many more belonging to the ideology which itself is drowning and struggling with an existential crisis, tried to provocate the mob by their infuriating speeches.
As per the data released by the Enforcement Directorate, the entire protest was funded by the Popular Front of India (PFI), the leaders of Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. The PFI deposited Rs.120 crores in 73 bank accounts related to the PFI for the successful execution of the anti CAA protest around the city.
However, there were strong claims by the various organisations that the protest seemed to be pre-planned and well fabricated. This gained even more clarity when the former JNU student and son of former leader of SIMI ,Umar Khalid, was seen addressing the mob which specifically targeted the day 23rd of February 2021, when ex-USA president Donald Trump was visiting Delhi. It was the opportunity to gain the attention of the world. This was later reconfirmed by the 1,030-page charge sheet filed by Delhi Police against the suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 14 others in a Karkardooma court in connection with the riots that took place in Chand Bagh area of northeast Delhi. It stated that the APP councillor met the former JNU student Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi of the ‘United Against Hate’ at Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA protest, and Umar asked him “to be prepared for something big/riots at the time of Trump’s visit”, and “he and other PFI members will help him (Hussain) financially”.
With this horrific conspiracy on 22nd February 2020, a group of over 500 Muslim women gathered near the Jaffrabad Metro Station and blocked road No. 66, which connects Seelampur to Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar.On 23rd February – BJP leader Kapil Mishra demanded the removal of Anti-CAA protestors and clearance of the road within 3 days. He emphasized that they would not listen to anyone if the Anti-CAA rioters do not shift and clear the roads within the given time. This statement was seen as an opportunity and within two hours the clash erupted and those protesting against CAA, suddenly emerged in huge number and started pelting of stones and vandalising public property in Majpur near Jaffrabad. From Maujpur Chowk.“…incidents of stone-pelting, brick batting, arson, firing and sabotage from both sides led to injuries to several police personnel as well as public persons and created an atmosphere of fear among public…,” Delhi Police mentioned in the charge sheet. The group of people wearing almost similar helmets, covered faces with the handkerchief, with sharp stones, carrying petrol, fire, sword approached Hindu households, their shops, schools and vehicles. The video recording shared by the locals showed that the trained boys in the mob, for them burning of the vehicles was a matter of just few seconds. The 17,000 pages charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police states, “The conspiracy grew in an organic manner from the formation of a group called MSJ (Muslim Students of JNU), an overtly communal seed that was sown after CAB… to the subsequent formation of JCC and finally the emergence of DPSG, which provided a secular facade and Naxal genes of violent resistance to an otherwise radically communal agenda”.
Along with the violence, slogans like Allah hu Akbar were chanted, similar to the Kashmir Exodus in 1991. A WhatsApp message retrieved from the phone of one of the accused, mentioned in the charge-sheet, proves it without a shadow of a doubt their involvement in planning and implementing the conspiracy to stir riots in Delhi. “घर में गरम खौलता हुआ पानी और तेल का इंतजाम करें, तेजाब की बोतल घर में रखे, कार-बाइक से पेट्रोल निकालकर रखे, बॉलकनी और छत पर ईंट-पत्थर रखें, लोहे के दरवाजों में स्विच से करंट का इस्तेमाल करें” are some of the instructive messages that were propagated in Whatsapp groups as a part of the preparation for violence in Delhi.
The act of Aam Aadmi Party’s Councillor Tahir Hussain to attack Hindus in his area stirred anger against the leader of the new ruling part. At the roof of the AAP councilor’s house, around 100 people were present along with sharp stones, carets of acid bottles in huge number, slingshot with an iron stand which was fitted days before. Delhi Police on 3rd June submitted the charge sheet before a Karkardooma court in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during northeast Delhi violence, in which it named suspended AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain, as an accused and said that he led the rioting mob from his house. “The accused Tahir Hussain was leading the mob from his house and also from the Masjid near Chand Bagh Pulia on February 24-25 and gave it a communal colour. He provoked and instigated the people, The uncontrolled mob turned into rioters and in the process of rioting caught hold of Ankit Sharma and dragged him to Chand Bagh Pulia and caused his death by inflicting injuries using sharp blunt objects and threw his dead body in a drain. He disclosed that he had stabbed Ankit Sharma a number of times with knife which he was carrying. His accomplices also stabbed him with a knife and hit him with dandas and after killing him, threw his dead body in the drain.”
Not just the APP counsellor since then the series of miscreants came forward. Shahrukh’s video of firing at one of the police personnel was seen all over the media. At the same time, a WhatsApp chat was forwarded in the groups of Anti-CAA requesting not to circulate Shahrukh’s video firing at the police personnel.
The aim was clear, to turn north-east Delhi into Kashmir where only radical Islam prevail and Hindus be butchered. Nitin Kumar, Rahul Solanki, Vinod Kumar, Rahul Thakur, Veerbhan and many more were slaughtered like goats. Even after a year, the pain in the eyes of Ankit Sharma’s mother is still fresh. Dibar Negi, who came from Uttrakhand, 6-inches tall, his hands and legs were cut off leaving him to 3-feets. Ratan Lal Delhi Police constable survived by his wife and three children age 13, 10 and 8. He had promised his children that they would celebrate Holi at their village in Sikar Rajasthan.
