Delhi riots were ‘Planned’ ‘Organised’ and ‘Targeted’ against Muslims

NEW DELHI — The Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) released on Thursday a fact-finding report on Delhi riots of February 2020. A 10-member fact-finding committee had been constituted by the DMC in March to look into the violence that took place in different areas of North East Delhi between February 23 and 27, 2020.
The Committee made efforts to invite victims of violence to come forward with information, documented individual victim testimonies at various sites of North East Delhi and conducted physical surveys of the damage to religious sites. The Committee also repeatedly sought information from the Delhi Police but did not get any response.
People supporting the Citizenship amendment Act beat a man during a clash with those opposing the law in New Delhi, February 24, 2020. (Reuters/Danish Siddiqui) Following are the key findings of the report: Repeated incitement to violence Throughout the Delhi assembly elections from December-February, there were a number of speeches by BJP leaders inciting people to violence against anti-CAA protesters. The details of these speeches have been recorded at length in the report.
Violence broke out in different pockets in North East Delhi almost immediately after the short instigating speech of Kapil Mishra on February 23, 2020 at Maujpur in which he openly called for forcefully removing the protestors at Jafrabad in North East Delhi. These threats to the protesters and people, was given in the presence of Deputy Commissioner of Police Ved Prakash Surya.
Planned, organised and targeted violence Armed mobs took to different areas of North East Delhi, attacked individuals, looted and burned property and businesses. The mobs where chanting and using slogans like, ‘Jai Shri Ram’, and even “Har Har Modi”, “Modiji, kaat do in Mullo ko”, “Aaj tumhe aazadi denge”, while they selectively attacked Muslim individuals, houses, shops, vehicles, mosques and other property. Testimonies recounted that the mob contained large number of outsiders but also included locals they could recognise. The mobs were armed with lathis, iron rods, tear gas shells, cylinders and firearms.
In several areas of North East Delhi, properties owned by Muslims were looted, burned, and completely destroyed. The attack was targeted to the extent that in instances, where the owners were Hindus but the property had been rented to Muslims, the building was not damaged but the moveable property was looted or burnt outside the premises.