Police using student activists to frame innocent people in Delhi violence

New Delhi, 06 June 2020 [Fik/News Sources]: In an attempt to “shield real culprits” involved in the anti-Muslim violence in northeast Delhi, the Delhi Police have been accused of forcing student activists to take names of innocent people failing which they run the risk of being framed under stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Addressing a news conference on Friday via video conferencing, former Union law minister and Congress leader Kapil Sibal alleged that student activists were being called in police stations and were being pressurised to support police apparently to target innocents even as the latter failed to arrest the BJP leaders who brazenly instigated the worst communal violence in decades that took place in February this year. He added that the police force had become a party in the case.

“Today, what is happening, is young people, innocent children, people who are in the university system, who have some fire in their heart for the good of the country and they are opposing the policies of this Government are being called in police stations and told that, you either support us, or we will put UAPA upon you and or you indicate this person’s names or that person’s name that is what happens.”

Sibal, who is presently Rajya Sabha member,   made this serious allegation against the Delhi Police while speaking about the Prime Minister’s announcement of making the country self-reliant.   Presenting facts and figures, he said the PM’s sloganeering “to go vocal for local” is nothing to do with self reliance. He dubbed it as “an act of self deception” saying India is dependent on import in each sector.

When his attention was drawn towards the investigation and arrest made by the Delhi Police in connection to the February North East Delhi riots investigation and arrest of people from the minority community, Sibal said it is the most unfortunate that police force is “becoming parties”.

He said  that students who opposed present government policies are being called in police stations and told to support police in framing innocents in Delhi riots cases or threatened with invoking UAPA against them.

And added that he is getting information regarding this and have access to lot of  information.

When he was specifically asked that the police have started filing a charge sheet but no major BJP leader has been alleged to be involved in that charge sheet, what do you say about it?

Sibal said they (Police) will not arrest any BJP leader who instigated violence and perpetrated it and they are being protected while innocents are framed.

Without taking the name of BJP MP Parvesh Verma, Union minister Anurag Thakur, and Kapil Mishra, the congress leader said, “No case. None of this has happened and none of this will happen.”

“What is happening in Delhi today, those who were in fact the perpetrators of violence are being protected? We know that some policemen were actually breaking cameras so that those who are perpetrators of violence should be protected.”

He further underlined that, “We know the kind of things the police did by entering into Jamia and into the JNU. What happened in the JNU? All those people, who were found perpetrating violence, what happened, no case against them, no case against those who shouted  “Goli maron, Desh ke Ghaddaron Ko” (shoot the traitors) and what happened thereafter?

Former law minister expressed grave concern over the police’s “partisan” attitude warning that it is question of upholding  the rule of law in the country.

“This is most unfortunate; I mean if our police force is becoming parties and what happens to the law and order situation in this country and the rule of law.”

The Delhi Police have been  facing a lot of flak at national and international level for its alleged one-sided investigation into the North East Delhi anti-Muslim violence  and arrest of anti-CAA student activists including four month pregnant Safoora Zargar who were protesting the religiously discriminatory citizenship law enacted by this government.  Recently  as many as  25 prominent national and international Civil Society organizations have written an open letter to the Union Home Minister of India, Amit Shah urging him to immediately and unconditionally release Human rights Defenders and all four student activists.