Polarization from Citizenship Amendment Act continued on the day of Balakot anniversary as it engulfed Delhi in yet another violent spree. More than 20 people have died, including an Intelligence Bureau Officer and more than 180 have been injured. Delhi needs to be doused and saved from arson and communal violence. You can read Summachar’s coverage on CAA here.
Crux of the Matter
Violence and arson engulfed Delhi at a time when Donald Trump was on his maiden visit to India. The extrapolation of communalism during anti-CAA protests has taken a horrifying spin after escalating each time, be it the incidents at Jamia, Seelampur, Shaheen Bagh, Jafrabad, Chandbagh, or Maujpur. The capital city has become a hotbed of polarizing statements. The recently concluded Delhi Elections also saw a series of hateful and polarizing statements from politicians from across the spectrum. Death toll in Delhi has crossed 20. Clash of pro-CAA and anti-CAA protestors rocked the Maujpur region of northeast Delhi. A young man called Shahrukh intimidated an unarmed policeman and opened 8 rounds of fire. A mosque had been torched in the capital city.
It appears a riot policeman is enabling & even encouraging stone-pelters to collect rocks that will be used as lethal projectiles. Such corruption is inexcusable & leaves the world's media with more questions than answers. This is smearing India's rep as a rising global power. 😒 pic.twitter.com/XzYpQ4xjYA — Rev. Zenji Nio ⚔️ (@NioZenji) February 25, 2020
Violent clashes,Shops torched, loss of Human lives, IsDelhi bracing itself for Hindu exodus after Kashmir, Kairana and West Bengal?#ArrestTerroristKapilMishra #ShahrukhMuslimTerrorist #DelhiRiots #DelhiViolence #Shahrukh #IslamicTerrorism #IslamicJihadpic.twitter.com/lSSkqFFBZf — Geetika Swami (@SwamiGeetika) February 25, 2020
A 26-year old Intelligence Bureau officer’s dead body was found in the Chandbag drain. A senior police official said that the officer was missing since a group had stopped him after he went out of his house when the group was pelting stones in his colony.
Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel conduct flag march during clashes between those against and supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act near Jafrabad metro station in North East Delhi. #DelhiRiots #DelhiViolence pic.twitter.com/hBrKduz3Xr — Deccan Herald (@DeccanHerald) February 25, 2020
The situation had worsened to an extent that Delhi police had to issue a ‘shoot at sight‘ order in northeast Delhi. Rapid Action Force (RAF) conducted a flag march in northeast Delhi to take control of the situation. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval had met Delhi Police and Ministry Officials to get an overview of the situation. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had visited the Raj ghat and prayed for peace. He had urged the Centre to deploy the Army to tackle the situation. However, he is yet to visit the affected areas. Supreme Court slammed Police and authorities for not taking proper action against the incessant violence in the Capital. Delhi High Court, referring to the killing of 3,000 people during anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, said that it cannot let another 1984 happen. It has urged the government and police authorities to take action to settle the situation in Delhi. Before the current violent escalations in Delhi, a series of violent events had engulfed it from the day Citizenship Amendment Act was passed.
Peace and harmony are central to our ethos. I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times. It is important that there is calm and normalcy is restored at the earliest. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 26, 2020
Chronology of Violence
15 December 2019 Jamia Milia Police Crackdown The anti-CAA protests intensified on 15 December when students of Jamia Milia University of Delhi took to streets of South Delhi to voice their concerns. Police, in order to disperse the crowd, used tear gas shells and lathicharged protestors. Allegedly, the police had entered Jamia campus and beaten students with batons and fired tear gas bombs. In the south Delhi region, protestors also torched 4 buses and 2 police vehicles in the New Friends area. As many as 60 people, including students, policemen, and firefighters were injured in the clash.
15 December 2019 – Continue Till Date Shaheen Bagh Protests In the Shaheen Bagh region of Delhi, a Muslim dominated region, sit-in protests have continued till today, 72nd day. These protests became the focal point of campaigning before the Delhi Legislative Elections. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Amanatullah Khan, who allegedly instigated violence at the site, received a landslide victory in the elections.
#WATCH Earlier today AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was seen in the area in Delhi where violent protests took place, police sources tell ANI that they are investigating elements that caused violence. #CitizenshipAmendmentAct pic.twitter.com/3Guwak4sDJ — ANI (@ANI) December 15, 2019
17 December 2019 Seelampur Goes Violent Anti-CAA protests in Seelampur region of northeast Delhi became violent. It is yet unknown what started the violence, but the protestors clashed with police, pelting stones and torching buses. Allegedly, during the clash Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) got injured after a stone hit his head.
20 December 2019 Daryaganj Arson Anti-CAA protests at the Daryaganj region of Delhi became violent after the protestors started pelting stones and torched a car in front of Delhi DCP’s office. Police had to use water cannons to disperse the crowd.
28 January 2020 Arrest of Sharjeel Imam Sharjeel Imam, the co-organizer at the Shaheen Bagh protests, was arrested on 28 January on charges of Sedition, inciting and abetting riots and creating religious disharmony. He was charged for his speech at the Aligarh Muslim University, in which he made controversial remarks about blocking the chicken-neck corridor in Siliguri to cut off northeast from the rest of India.
30 January 2020 Man Opens Fire at Student Protestors At an anti-CAA rally near Jamia, a person named Rambhakt Gopal opened fire at the student protestors. Allegedly, he was shouting the slogan of ‘ye lo azadi‘ before opening fire, which injured one student from Jamia University.
#WATCH A man brandishes gun in Jamia area of Delhi, culprit has been detained by police. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/rAeLl6iLd4 — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2020
1st Week of February 2020 Delhi Elections Delhi Legislative Elections witnessed polarizing statements from both parties, BJP and AAP. BJP leaders picked up Shaheen Bagh protests as their political agenda and a series of hateful statements began from its leaders.
Shocking: It was a local BJP leader from Delhi back then, its now a front line BJP leader and MoS Finance, Anurag Thakur who is leading the crowd to chant “Desh ke gaddaron ko, Goli maro salon ko”. Such is the level of politics, ladies and gentlemen! pic.twitter.com/rXZ8M8m6lz — Prashant Kumar (@scribe_prashant) January 27, 2020
20 February 2020 Karnataka In relation to the anti-CAA protests, AIMIM leader Waris Pathan made a controversial communal threat.
#WATCH AIMIM leader Waris Pathan: …They tell us that we've kept our women in the front – only the lionesses have come out&you're already sweating. You can understand what would happen if all of us come together. 15 cr hain magar 100 ke upar bhaari hain, ye yaad rakh lena.(15.2) pic.twitter.com/KO8kqHm6Kg — ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2020
22 February 2020 Jafrabad Blockade Nearly 500 Muslim women staged protest at the Jafrabad metro station and blocked Road no. 66 that connects Seelamput to Yamuna Vihar and Maujpur.
23 February 2020 Maujpur BJP leader Kapil Mishra had tweeted a video where he gave Delhi Police three ultimatum to clear the protestors-filled roads until Donald Trump is on India visit.
चलो दिल्ली में कोई शेर तो है @KapilMishra_IND भैया आप आगे बढ़ो हम आपके साथ है। पूरी दिल्ली को हम शाहीन बाग नही बनने देंगे#ISupportKapilMishra pic.twitter.com/NhcFDCqbRG — अभिषेक बजरंगी 🚩बीजेपी🚩 (@bajrangi4bjp) February 23, 2020
Curiopedia
Religious violence in India includes acts of violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group, often in the form of rioting. Religious violence in India has generally involved Hindus and Muslims. Along with domestic organizations, international human rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch publish reports on acts of religious violence in India. Over 2005 to 2009 period, an average of 130 people died every year from communal violence, or about 0.01 deaths per 100,000 population. The state of Maharashtra reported the highest total number of religious violence related fatalities over that five-year period, while Madhya Pradesh experienced the highest fatality rate per year per 100,000 population between 2005 and 2009. Over 2012, a total of 97 people died across India from various riots related to religious violence. More Info
Communal Violence in Delhi has a long embedded history into politics and partition. In 1974, communal violence broke out to such an extent that an apartheid kind of situation was created. Interviews conducted by Centre for the Study of Developing Societies showed that “Hindus believed Muslims were poor, backward in education, religious fanatics, and quarrelsome and harsh. Some other perceptions quoted in the report include that Muslims marry several times and do not regard the country as their own.” More Info
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