The Delhi police arrested 23 people from both the Hindu and Muslim communities in connection with the communal riots that broke out in Jahangirpuri in Northwest Delhi. At least nine people were injured in clashes that erupted during a procession for the Hindu religious festival of Hanuman Jayanti.
Deputy Police Commissioner Usha Rangnani said the suspects were arrested on charges of rioting, arson, and criminal conspiracy. According to the police, bullets were fired during the incident and one police officer sustained injuries.
The police said that clashes broke out on Saturday between Hindu and Muslim communities after they pelted stones at each other during a procession of Hindu devotees celebrating Hanuman Jayanti. Although the exact cause of the violence is unclear, police have said that according to the FIR, a person named Ansar started arguing with the procession, which later led to violent clashes.
On the basis of initial investigation, a total of 14 rioters have been arrested in #Jahangirpuri incident, including the person who fired bullets. The pistol used has also been recovered from his possession. Remaining rioters are being identified for strict legal action.
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) April 17, 2022
While the police were initially able to separate both groups, the situation got out of hand when the rioters started pelting stones at each other As a result, more police teams were deployed in Jahangirpuri to quell the unrest.
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said on Monday that action will be taken against any individual responsible for the violence “irrespective of their class, creed, community and religion.”
"If police were present during the Shobha Yatra, the clash would not have happened. They threw stones at the mosque and provoked us. How much should we tolerate?" Report by @Sumedhapal4.#JahangirpuriViolencehttps://t.co/4ZCQEGCdJX pic.twitter.com/hsZAXXoHFN
— The Wire (@thewire_in) April 18, 2022
Moreover, a petition addressed to the Supreme Court (SC) by a Delhi-based lawyer sought the SC’s intervention in the ongoing investigation into the riots and called on the court to constitute a committee headed by an SC judge to “conduct an impartial probe.”
#JahangirpuriViolence: We are monitoring social media closely, and legal action will be taken against those who are found spreading misinformation, Delhi CP #RakeshAsthana on reports that flags were installed at a mosque. (ANI) pic.twitter.com/rrlJIR6Yvh
— TOI Delhi (@TOIDelhi) April 18, 2022
Another petition called on the SC to direct the National Investigative Agency (NIA) to investigate whether terrorist groups like the Islamic State were involved.
The violence was the worst to occur in Delhi since the 2020 riots that killed 53 people. On February 23, 2020, communal violence erupted between Hindu and Muslim mobs over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.
The latest Jahangirpuri riots took place against the backdrop of several recent communal riots across India on the occasion of Ram Navami. On April 10, communal clashes during Ram Navami celebrations in Gujarat left one person dead and injured several others.
According to reports, riots broke out in three districts in Gujarat—Himmatnagar, Khambat, and Dwarka—after miscreants pelted procession-goers with stones. In retaliation, mobs torched vehicles and shops in the districts. Riot control police were deployed in the regions and six policemen were injured in clashes.
The police said that they used bulldozers to raze the properties of those involved in stoking violence. Officials also claimed that the violence was a “pre-planned conspiracy” to foment communal tensions.
Similar violence during Ram Navami was also seen in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Clashes also broke out during Saturday’s Hanuman Jayanti celebrations in Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and Andhra Pradesh.