It is now five years since the 2020 Delhi Riots and the machinery of law and order and justice has failed the victims.
More than 50 people were killed after clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. There were protests and disturbances across the country, including in Meghalaya, over the CAA but the reaction of the government was extreme in the national capital.
Besides the injuries and loss of life, there were hundreds of homes and shops and several places of worship that were damaged or destroyed by violent mobs.
The police, who in the National Capital Territory are run by the central government and not the Delhi government, have in many cases been accused of participating in the violence, allowing it to occur, letting the perpetrators get away with attacks and falsely accusing innocent persons. This is not just the opinion of community organisations or civil rights groups but respected judges.
Analysis by a reputable news organisation found that 80 percent of cases registered by police in connection with the riots where a decision has been made by the courts have seen the suspects either discharged or acquitted. In many cases this is because the courts found that the police had falsely implicated the accused, presented testimony that could not be relied on, delayed identification of the accused or presented statements with glaring inconsistencies.
It is no secret that the riots were communal in nature – there were Muslim as well as Hindu victims, though the former were in a majority. But the police, it appears, mostly went after Muslims for the rioting, going so far, as the courts have pointed out, to falsely implicating many. The police also accused several activists against the CAA of instigating the riots and charged them under anti-terror laws, like UAPA, where it is difficult to get bail. Some are still in jail awaiting their trials to begin. Those in the pro-CAA camp, on the other hand, seem to have largely gotten away with any crimes they may have committed.
A five-year delay in justice is not long by Indian standards where court cases can sometimes take decades. Only recently a politician, Sajjan Kumar, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 1984 Sikh Riots, which took place more than 40 years ago.
Those riots also saw those in power (then the Congress Party) use their positions to aid and abet rioters who targeted the Sikh community after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Those riots, in which many thousands died, were a stain on India’s soul. The 2020 conflagration, though less violent, was equally disgraceful. It is riots like these that are one of the strongest arguments for an independent police force free from political interference. Sadly, that day is long in the future as no government in India will ever be willing to let the police out of their grasp.
