Delhi riots: 'No supervision in probes across police stations'

New Delhi: In another instance where the Delhi Police has been reprimanded for clubbing various complaints related to last year's north-east Delhi riots into a single FIR and for having 'complete lack of supervision' in investigation pertaining to the riots, a Delhi court on Monday cleared way for separation of an FIR lodged by one Nisar Ahmed, who had also named BJP councillor Kanhaiya Lal in one of his complaints.

While disregarding the police's revision petition filed in the case where they justified clubbing three complaints into a single FIR as they constituted the same offence, Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav stated that, "The investigating agency has evidently been found to be on the wrong side of law. This Court has found in several cases of riots in the entire length and breadth of police stations in north-east Delhi that there was a complete lack of supervision of the investigation(s) by senior police officers of the District".

The court further added: "All is not over yet. If the senior officers now look into the matter(s) and take remedial measures required in the matter(s), so that justice could be given to the victims".

Referring to an earlier order by a Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) court which directed registration of a separate FIR, ASJ Yadav said the impugned order is "well reasoned" and directed the order be sent to Delhi Commissioner of Police for issuing appropriate directions to reassess investigation(s) conducted in riots cases and order immediate remedial action(s).

Ahmed had filed a complaint on March 4 at Gokulpuri Police Station where he alleged that on February 25 at around 10 am, a riotous mob consisting of persons from a particular community vandalized and looted his house, whom he had also named in his complaint. The said mob after committing dacoity at his residence also set on fire his two motorcycles. He also made a video recording of the said incident.

Later, he gave a detailed complaint stating that one Vikash Kashyap had put up a large public address system at Gokalpuri pulia where around 250 people had gathered and also recognised other accused, including BJP councillor Kanhaiya Lal. He said that a clarion call was being given to the mob to vandalize the houses of the other community.

However, his complaint of both days, was clubbed into one Aas Mohammad's vandalism, which didn't name anyone.

Allegedly facing intimidation from the accused persons to take back his complaint, Ahmed lodged a complaint to this effect and was provided witness protection.

After Ahmed was not provided copy of the FIR he had lodged nor the three chargesheets in which he was made a witness despite moving the Delhi High Court, he moved a district court where police filed a reply saying that both his complaints had been merged into one FIR and "no substance was found in complaints" regarding criminal intimidation and killing of women of a particular community by a mob.

In view of this, ASJ Yadav removed the stay put on the earlier order of an MM court and directed registration of a separate FIR into the incident where he has named Lal.