Delhi violence: Police name 15 accused in over 17,000-page chargesheet

The Delhi Police Special Cell has named 15 people as accused in a chargesheet filed in connection with the February violence that rocked the Capital, NDTV reported on Wednesday. All the 15 have been accused under sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act.

The chargesheet filed at Karkardooma court is said to be over 17,000 pages and the police was seen carrying two steel trunks that had the document. As many as 2,600 pages gave details of the charges against the accused, while thousands of others were pages of annexures.

The chargesheet, however, does not name Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam as accused in the Delhi riots case. Khalid and Sharjeel were arrested a few days ago. Their names will be in the supplementary chargesheet, according to News18. Suspended Aam Aadmi Councillor Tahir Hussain has been named in the chargesheet.

Pinjra Tod members Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Millia Islamia students Asif Iqbal Tanha, Meeran Haider and Safoora Zargar, United Against Hate co-founder Khalid Saifi and former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan are among the others named by the police, according to Hindustan Times.

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“These conspirators were in direct touch with the foot soldiers that resulted in the riots in North East Delhi in February,” the police told the court, according to NDTV. “Conspirators planned the riots while middle ring of leaders at the area level executed the plan through the foot soldiers.” The police also said that two WhatsApp groups were used to engineer the riots in Seelampur and Jafrabad areas that witnessed the worst violence.

The February violence in North East Delhi left over 50 people dead, hundreds injured and thousands displaced.

In multiple chargesheets relating to the riots, Delhi Police have claimed that the violence was part of a well-planned conspiracy to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and was hatched by those who organised the protests against the amended Citizenship Act. The Act introduced a religious test for Indian citizenship that critics said was discriminatory towards Muslims. The protests against the Act started in Delhi in mid-December and spread across the country.