Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that reports that Aadhaar data of people was being used to identify the perpetrators of the Delhi violence is false, ANI reported. He said the police force is using only driving licences and voter ID cards instead.
“However, police must be empowered to use scientific methods to bring the culprits to book and should not be stopped in the name of privacy breach,” Shah said, according to a tweet by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Shah said that facial recognition software has been able to identify over 1,900 people, who he alleged were “spreading arson and breaking infrastructure”. Shah said the culprits will be “dealt with sternly”.
At least 53 people were killed and over 500 injured in the violence last month between supporters and opponents of the Citizenship Amendment Act in North East Delhi district.
“The perpetrators of the riots will not be spared regardless of their caste, religion or political affiliations,” the home minister said, echoing his words in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. “They will be prosecuted and punished through a transparent and scientific investigation so that they feel the fear of law for a long time.”
Shah said those responsible for the murders of constable Ratan Lal and Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma have been arrested. Shah added that the investigation into the “wider conspiracy” continues.
“We had information from several agencies that money had come from abroad and from the rest of the country and was spread in Delhi before the 24th morning,” Shah claimed. The Union home minister had on Wednesday too claimed that the riots had been a conspiracy.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had said earlier on Thursday that the communal violence in North East Delhi was orchestrated. Addressing the Rajya Sabha during a discussion on the violence in the national Capital, Sibal said the clashes happened because of the “communal virus” that was spread by the people giving hate speech.
Without naming BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma, who have been accused of instigating violence in Delhi with hate speech, Sibal asked Amit Shah why there were no cases filed against them. “You can do anything to protect cows, can’t you do anything to protect the lives of human beings?” Sibal said. “Do we need to bring another Article to ensure the protection of human beings?”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!