Delhi riots: Charge sheet in ‘conspiracy’ case will be filed by Sept 17, says police chief

New Delhi, Sep 14: Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava Monday said a charge sheet will be filed by Thursday in connection with a “conspiracy” case in the northeast Delhi riots as the force is approaching towards the final league of investigation.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwaha also said the riots were result of a "planned conspiracy" because during the investigation, the police found a common pattern the anti-CAA protesters followed: block the road traffic. “It was the first indicator that there was a conspiracy due to which it all started," he said.

The two officers spoke at a webinar, where Srivastava also said that some of the people police are probing have a very good social media presence and they are trying to take “away the sheen from the investigation”.

“As we are approaching towards the final end of investigation, Umar Khalid (former JNU student) has also been arrested. So, there is more and more sort of a cry, especially in the social media and also on the TV channels. (They) are trying to take away the sheen from the investigation.

“You know that people whom we are investigating, many (of them) have a very good social media presence,” the Commissioner said. Khalid was arrested Sunday under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged role in the northeast Delhi riots.

The Commissioner said the Delhi Police has registered altogether 751 cases and conducted its investigation in a very fair and impartial manner. Out of the 751 cases, 340 have been solved, while the police has not got much lead in the remaining cases, he said. “Out of 751, one case is basically regarding the conspiracy, and this has been registered by the Crime Branch, but was transferred to the Special Cell because it required detailed investigation.

They are required to file the charge sheet by September 17,” Shrivastava said.

The webinar was organised by the Delhi Police Retired Gazetted Officers Association where Shrivastava also tried to put to rest all “false accusations” and claims made against his force in connection with the riots and reasserted that all actions taken by the police were in absolute compliance of the law.

“The other 59 important cases were given to the three SITs which were formed under the Crime Branch and out of the 59 cases, 46 were solved and in all these, the charges sheets have been filed and we are still filing the supplementary charge sheets,” he said.

Remaining few cases are with the district police and they are also doing a good job to ensure that all the evidences are collected properly and presented in a proper manner, the police commissioner added.

On his part, Kushwaha said, "When we started investigating the Delhi riots, we first saw all the sites and found a common pattern that traffic jam was started at all the sites simultaneously. It was the first indicator that there was a conspiracy due to which it all started." There were 25 protest sites and most of them were formed in trans-Yamuna area, Kushwaha said. It also came in notice that the people who were sitting on protest sites were led by those who came from outside.

“They were not locals.” People kept on going to the protest sites again and again and they talked about CAA-NRC so that more and more people would come there and it would look like a CAA-NRC protest was going on, the DCP said. On February 11, when it was announced that US President Donald Trump will visit India, suddenly the tone and tenor of the protest got changed, he said.

On February 22, the protesting leaders and women sat on road under Jafrabad metro station and blocked the road, Kushwah said. Following that pattern, the other sites in northeast Delhi were also suddenly traffic-jammed, stone-pelting started at Maujpur where the pro and anti-CAA and NRC protestors were sitting, he said.

Suddenly, the stone-pelting turned into a well-planned riots, the DCP said. The protest sites were formed with a planned conspiracy to show that children and locals were agitating, and traffic jam and stone-pelting happened, the DCP said.

“Acid bottles and petrol bomb were used. Even firing took place in which one head constable Ratan Lal died. There was a huge slingshot inside the Rajdhani School which was pre-installed. “A narrative is being created that pro-CAA/NRC people were involved in it, but it has not come into the investigation yet,” he said.

Besides 11 Special Public Prosecutor that were hired by the force, the Commissioner stated that six more SPPs -- including the solicitor general of India, two additional solicitor of general of India and three more senior lawyers -- have been roped in so that the cases are defended and taken up well in all courts.