Court said, Delhi Police failed to stop illegal Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri

A Delhi court said the Delhi Police “completely failed” to stop the unauthorized procession of Hanuman Jayanti at Jahangirpuri last month. During this procession, communal violence erupted in the area. Rohini Court Additional Sessions Judge Gagandeep Singh said the failure of the police to stop the procession has been hidden.
The court said this while rejecting several petitions for grant of bail to eight accused in connection with the clashes in the area. According to the court, it seems that the issue has been completely ignored by the senior officers and if there was complicity of the policemen, it needs to be investigated.
Communal clashes erupted in Muslim-majority Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi on April 16 when Hindutva groups took out a procession to celebrate Hanuman Jayanti. According to the police, stone pelting and arson took place during the clashes and some vehicles were also set ablaze.
Additional Sessions Judge Gagandeep Singh said, “It seems that the issue has been sidelined by the senior officers. Accountability should be fixed on the officials concerned so that no such incident happens in future.
Terming the role of police in curbing illegal activities as “not satisfactory”, he said that if they have any complicity, it should also be probed.
The court directed that a copy of the order passed on May 7 be sent to the Commissioner of Police for information and remedial compliance.
The judge said, “The state is right to accept that the last procession passing was illegal (during which the riots took place) and prior permission of the police was not taken for it.”
The court said the developments on Hanuman Jayanti on April 16 and the role of the local administration in preventing riots and maintaining law and order need to be probed.
The court questioned, why were the local police officers accompanying an illegal procession instead of stopping it?The court asked, “It is clearly accepted by the state that the last procession which was going through, during which unfortunate riots took place, was illegal and prior permission of the police was not taken for it.” If such was the case then the contents of the FIR itself suggest that the local staff of Police Station Jahangirpuri, led by Inspector Rajeev Ranjan as well as other officers of DCP Reserve were accompanying him instead of stopping the said illegal procession.
“It seems that the local police, instead of stopping the illegal procession from the very beginning and dispersing the crowd, remained with them all the way,” the judge said. Later there were riots between the two communities.
The court was hearing bail pleas which claimed that the accused were falsely implicated and they were not present at the spot on the day of the incident.
Rejecting the bail applications, the court also said that the investigation in the case is still going on and several criminals allegedly involved in the riots are yet to be nabbed.
According to the Live Law report, those who were denied bail by the court include Imtiaz, Noor Alam, Sheikh Hamid, Ahmed Ali, Sheikh Hamid, SK Sehda, Sheikh Zakir and Ahir. Eight have been identified on the basis of CCTV footage and eyewitnesses.
“The apprehension expressed by the prosecution that public witnesses will not come forward as the rioters are known to be criminals of the area,” the court said. Therefore, if the accused/applicant is granted bail at this stage, the apprehension of intimidation/influencing the witnesses cannot be ruled out.
The police have not yet filed a charge sheet in this case. The police have arrested three more accused in this case on May 7. Along with this, so far 36 people including three minors are in the custody of the police in this regard.
During the procession taken out on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti in Jahangirpuri on April 16, there was a clash between two communities, in which eight policemen and a local resident were injured. The police have taken action against the five accused in the case under the strict National Security Act (NSA).
Days after the violence, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana wrote to the Enforcement Directorate to probe the money laundering charges against the main accused in the case.
After this, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered a case of money laundering against various suspects, including the main accused Mohammad Ansar, in this violence case.
After the incident of violence, an anti-encroachment campaign was launched by the BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on April 20, which sparked controversy.
It is alleged that under the campaign, the alleged illegal constructions of the accused were being demolished, on which the action was not stopped even after the Supreme Court stayed. When the petitioner’s lawyers returned to the apex court a few hours later, the sabotage proceedings had stopped.
After this, while hearing the matter on April 21, the Supreme Court had put a two-week ban on the sabotage campaign of NDMC. Along with this, the Supreme Court had said that it will take cognizance of the demolition action on April 20, which continued even after the corporation was apprised of its order.