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Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while regretting the loss of lives and property in Delhi riots, said those responsible will not be spared irrespective of their political affiliation and religious identities. He promised that the Centre will ensure that the guilty will be punished so that the perpetrators of violence are given a message that the punishment for such crimes will be strong.
Justifying the delay in discussing the riots in parliament, he said by March 2, the riots ended and the government was engaged in relief and rehabilitation measures. “Police was probing the culprits. Doctors were treating the victims. Holi festival was on. To avoid any untoward incident, we decided not to hold any discussions during this time. We had conveyed to the chairpersons of both the Houses and leaders of political parties that we are ready for a discussion. We were not running away from a discussion,” Shah said.
Replying to a short duration discussion in Rajya Sabha on the recent law and order situation in some parts of Delhi, he said over 700 FIRs have been registered and the Police is functioning based on the advice of advocates. He added that more than 2,600 people were arrested based on evidence in a scientific manner. “Two days after the riots, we had asked the public to share any picture or footages of the culprits. People have cooperated and we have got a number of footages,” said Shah.
He said five conspirators have also been arrested.
On face identification, Shah said he respects privacy and claimed that no aadhaar data has been used to identify the culprits. “Police should have the right to bring the culprit before the court,” he said. Of those who had indulged in rioting, arson and killing, 1,922 have been identified, he said and added that data has been received from neighbouring districts in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, initiating the debate, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal charged that the Delhi police helped the rioters by breaking the CCTV cameras. “The Delhi Police, with a strength of 87,000 cops, could have stopped the riots,” he said. He said Police is not filing FIRs against those who triggered the violence through communal speeches. “This is a licence to kill,” he said.
He reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah it is the fundamental duty of a citizen to promote brotherhood. “Is protection of cows more important than protection of human-beings?” he asked.
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