New Delhi: A two-judge bench of Delhi High court took place after former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, Harsh Mander and others filed a plea over the deadly violence in North East Delhi.
Referring to anti-Sikh riots that killed over 3,000 people in Delhi alone, Justice Muralidhar said: “We can’t let another 1984 scenario happen in this city; not under the watch of this court”.
“We heard that one IB officer has been attacked. These things should be immediately looked into,” he added.
The court’s comment came after it watched a video of BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who has a history of making hate-filled communal rants, make yet another incendiary speech in northeast Delhi’s Maujpur neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.
Tensions ran high in the courtroom this afternoon as the High Court grilled Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for Delhi Police, over Mr Mishra’s video and a plea, filed late last night, seeking lodging of FIRs and the arrests of those involved in the violence. The plea referred to the BJP leader’s video and held him responsible for inciting and orchestrating the violence.
On being asked if he and Delhi Police had seen the video in question, Mr Mehta claimed he did not watch television. A senior police officer in the courtroom said he had seen speeches by Union Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma – both of whom have also repeatedly made hate-filled communal rants – but not that by Kapil Mishra.
At least 21 people have been killed, including a Delhi Police officer and an Intelligence Bureau officer, and over 180 have been injured in the clashes, which began Sunday afternoon as groups for and against the controversial citizenship law clashed in Maujpur, where Kapil Mishra was speaking.