Thursday passed off peacefully as no incidents of fresh violence was reported from the riot hit northeast Delhi. While the massive police presence managed to keep things calm even as people pick up pieces, the political war of words have begun over the worst ever riots since 1984 and 2002.
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi led a party delegation to President Ram Nath Kovind demanding resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah for his failure to stop riots in Delhi, which has so far claimed 34 lives. BJP hit back saying the Congress leaders have been giving provocative statements for the past two months. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, addressing a press conference in New Delhi said, Sonia Gandhi in her rally had said “it was a battle which should be decided on one side”. He also accused other Congress leaders like Mani Shankar Aiyar, Salman Khurshid of making provocative statements.
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Javadekar questioned selective silence over attack on policemen and death of police officers in the riots.
As allegations were made against AAP leader Tahir Hussain for his alleged role in the riots, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said everyone responsible be given punishment. “If any AAP leader person is found guilty then he must be given double the punishment. There should be no politics on the issue of national security,” Kejriwal said.
But it was a letter from Rajya Sabha MP from Akali Dal Naresh Gujral which exposed the working of the police and what could have transpired in the city as it burnt for three days. Gujral wrote a letter to Delhi police commissioner and Amit Shah narrating that he had made a call to the police control to rescue several persons known to him from Maujpur area trapped inside as mobs rampaged outside. Though the police noted down his complaint, no effort was made to rescue the people despite him telling that he was a Member of Parliament.
"I explained the urgency of the situation and told the operator that I am a Member of Parliament. I received a confirmation from the Delhi Police that my complaint had been received. However, much to my disappointment, no action was taken on my complaint and those 16 individuals received no assistance whatsoever from the Delhi Police," Gujral said in his letter. He said no person would like a repeat of 1984.
The politics is likely to escalate over the next a few days as normalcy returns to riot-hit areas.
Meanwhile, the police have registered 48 FIRs in the riots. These cases have been transferred to the special investigation team under the Delhi Police for a detailed probe.