A total of 23 people have been arrested and two juveniles apprehended so far in connection with the incident
Security personnel deployed in Jahangirpuri after communal clashes broke out in the area on Saturday. PTI
As Delhi Police’s crime branch unit continues its investigation into the Jahangirpuri violence that took place over the weekend, News18 reported that officials are looking into the possible role of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activists who were protesting at Jantar Mantar on the same day, 16 April.
The police have submitted a report to the Union home ministry in connection with the violence, reports TimesNow. The investigators have claimed that the violence was a part of a criminal conspiracy.
Meanwhile, police deployment on Tuesday continued in the Jahangirpuri area in New Delhi. Following the outbreak of violence in the area on Saturday during a religious procession on Hanuman Jayanti, 16 April, police have been deployed.
An altercation between two groups erupted during a religious procession in Jahangirpuri that left nine people injured, including eight police personnel and a civilian injured. A total of 23 people, including two juveniles, have been apprehended so far in connection with the incident.
Refuting allegations of a one-sided probe, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said 25 persons from two communities had been arrested so far for their alleged involvement in the Jahangirpuri communal clashes on Saturday.
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, while addressing a press conference on Monday, assured that action will be taken against those found guilty irrespective of their class, creed, community and religion.
The police said they had registered an FIR against members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal as well for taking out a religious procession without permission on Saturday evening. Prem Sharma, VHP’s district sewa pramukh, had been arrested, they said.
Delhi Police have arrested people from “both communities” for the violence.
Two prime accused – Ansar and Aslam – were sent to police custody till Wednesday by a Delhi Court on Monday. Four other fresh accused of the incident were sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
A day ago, during submission before the court, Delhi Police alleged that the main accused – Ansar and Aslam – got to know about the ‘Shobha Yatra’ on 15 April and then they hatched this “conspiracy”.
Delhi Police also said that they have to go through the CCTV footage, and identify others involved in this case.
Among those arrested, the police have arrested all the men of a family belonging to “one particular community”. The accused have been identified as Suken Sarkar, his brother Suresh Sarkar, Suken’s two sons Neeraj and Suraj, and Sukeen’s brother-in-law Sujit. Police have also detained Suken’s minor son.
After the arrest, Suken’s wife Durga Sarkar told news agency ANI, “My husband, brother-in-law, three sons and my brother have been arrested by the police. They are all innocent. They were on the chariot in the procession and stones were thrown at him. A brick was thrown at my husband. His brother suffered severe injuries to his head, but despite this, they saved the Hanuman idol.”
Durga Sarkar said that her husband came home and told her that people belonging to the “other community” first started arguing with them and they also were the ones to start throwing stones.
In an first information report filed in the Jahangirpuri police station, the police said that four or five people started arguing with the participants of the procession after it stopped near a mosque. This led to both sides throwing stones that caused a stampede.
The FIR said that the police intervened and separated both groups but minutes later they again started throwing stones and shouting slogans. The police officer at the site then asked for more security to be deployed, who then used around 40-50 tear gas grenades to control the situation.
The police claimed that the act of throwing stones and firing led to the communal riots, according to the FIR. A scooter and a few other vehicles were set on fire by the mob.
By Sunday morning, the police had arrested 14 Muslim men. Later on Sunday evening, the police arrested six more people, mostly Hindus.
With inputs from agencies
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