Northeast Delhi riots: Court takes cognisance of chargesheet against Hussain, others

New Delhi, Oct 14: A Delhi court has taken cognisance of the two chargesheets filed in separate FIRs against former AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain and others in connection with the riots at northeast Delhi.

Purushottam Pathak, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate said that there was sufficient material on record to take cognisance of the offences for rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and common intention under the various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The court however did not take cognisance of the offences for promoting enmity between groups based on religion, caste and language.

In its chargesheet, the Delhi police said that the conspirators of the Northeast Delhi riots had plotted to bring the government to its knees. They sought to enforce the withdrawal of the newly amended citizenship law and timed the execution of their conspiracy with the visit of US President, Donald Trump, the Delhi police said.

The conspiracy grew in an organic manner from the formation of group called the Muslim Students of JNU. This was a communal seed that was sown after the CAB to the subsequent formation of the JCCC and then the emergence of the DPSG. This provided a secular facade and naxal genes of violent resistance to an otherwise radically communal agenda, the chargesheet also said. The report also blames a few media houses that created a media frenzy.

The police said that there were three levels of conspirators-top-level, middle-level and foot soldiers, who were the rioters. Submitting its chargesheet in the case, the police said that the evidence includes WhatsApp chats of February 24. That was the time that the violence took place and at that time the key conspirators were guiding the foot-soldiers about the violence in the area, the police further added.

Tahir Hussain, Md Parvez Ahmed, Md Iliyas, Saifi Khalid, Ishrat Jahan, Miran Haider, Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Shadab Ahmed, Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Md Saleem Khan, and Athar Khan have been named in the chargesheet.

The name of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Ahmed are not part of the chargesheet as the arrests were made just a few days back. Their names would be in the supplementary chargesheet which the Delhi Police would file soon.

The conspirators used a WhatsApp group to incite the violence and a total of 25 groups were specially created for 25 protest sites. While the impression was given that the protests were about the amended citizenship law, in reality these conspirators were using the groups to guide people on the ground, the police further added.

Each of these chat groups had its own role in the conspiracy. While some groups have been deleted, others have been recovered and submitted as evidence. The police also said that the conspirators used code words within the groups to convey secret messages.

They also gave hate speeches at Jafrabad Metro Station and were continuously present there till the last.