Two years ago, 53 people lost their lives in the Delhi Pogrom, two-thirds of them being Muslims. Shops/businesses of Muslim owners were burnt while those of their Hindu counterparts remained unscathed. Muslim homes were marked, vandalised and burnt. While Northeast Delhi burnt, ambulances and fire-fighting trucks were prevented from entering the area. The police failed to prevent the violence against Muslims despite repeated threats against the anti-CAA protestors. The carnage lasted 3 days. The Delhi Police forced a group of injured men to sing the national anthem between beatings. Many continue to be in prison. Like in Delhi 1984, Gujarat 2002, politicians, administration, police and a section of the media are not only dismissing facts but are fudging FIRs to make victims the perpetrators. Victim families, lawyers, activists, journalists and academics converge in Delhi to retell the ‘Unpopular’ Truth. WSN reports. 

TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD FAIZAN WAS ILLEGALLY DETAINED by the police for nearly 36 hours and refused medical attention, despite his injuries. He later died. None of the policemen involved in the incident has been brought to account for the cold-blooded murder. Two years on, justice remains elusive.

18 Muslim activists, largely students are falsely framed for instigating violence against their own community. On 26 February 2022, Ishrat Jahan and Khalid Saifi completed two full years in prison, while those who openly exhorted violence against anti-CAA protestors remain at large. Not even an FIR has been registered against them. This raises serious questions on the increasingly Kafkaesque nature of the criminal justice system. 

The Delhi pogrom popularly referred to as the ‘Delhi riots’; in its most truthful form is actually an attempt towards a large scale massacre of Muslims, which was consciously allowed to go on for more than 3 days in the national capital of the country. It is time to set the narrative straight, rectify selective and collective public amnesia and retell the unpopular truth till all lies and propaganda are defeated. 

A man is beaten during a clash between people supporting a new citizenship law and those opposing the law in New Delhi, India, February 24, 2020. Picture taken February 24, 2020. Photo Courtesy: REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

Aasif Mujtaba said that “It is important to remember what occurred in Northeast Delhi two years ago. The Muslim community was at the receiving end of the violence but we see that majority of the cases have been registered against Muslims only.” 

Malika, wife of deceased Musharraf broke down while narrating her ordeal, “They were chanting slogans of Jai Shree Ram. They had weapons. They came with swords and rods. I hid my husband inside the room and locked the gate. But they broke the lock. Then they pierced my husband with a rod. He screamed.” She sobbed. Through her tears, she continued, “My husband told them I’m your brother. They said you’re a Muslim, you are not our brother. And then they attacked him repeatedly.” recollected Malika. “My children still ask for their father. They stole their father from them. I work as a domestic help to sustain the family now. How will I raise my children now?” questioned Malika. 

Imrana, wife of deceased Mudassir also addressed the public meeting. She said, “I’ve eight daughters. It is difficult for me to provide for my children. The government gave us ten lakh rupees as compensation. No amount can ever compensate the loss of my husband.” In the struggle of raising 8 daughters herself, the struggle for justice for Mudassir has been lost.

“It would be wrong to call this a riot. This was a pogrom. The police have filed more than 1100 FIRs in the Delhi pogrom. What happened in Northeast Delhi two years ago was a targeted attack against the Muslim community and the people leading this are elected leaders of the BJP.” said Fawaz Shaheen, member of Quill Foundation while speaking at the event. He further added, “They tried to incite violence at Jamia and later at Shaheen Bagh. When they failed to achieve their goals, they tried this in Northeast Delhi. 

It is no coincidence that violence broke out after Kapil Mishra gave an incendiary speech. Just to see which community faced the maximum brunt of the violence, eleven masjids and five madrasas were attacked, vandalised and burnt. We won’t believe the lies of the Delhi Police. The truth will be remembered.” Valik, a resident of Northeast Delhi who lost vision due to an acid attack also narrated his agony, “We went to the masjid in desperation to take refuge. They threw acid on my face. It burnt my eyes. We called everyone. No one came to help us.” The collective feeling of abandonment, of nobody coming to their rescue in a locality they had called their home for years, is irreconcilable. The Muslims of Northeast Delhi feel betrayed. A betrayal that is impossible to reconcile with.

“I was shot in the spine. At the hospital, all I could do was cry. The doctor told me that the bullet that hit me had pellets in it and that it hit a nerve near the spine. I was well before but in a day, my life was upturned”, recollected Sameer, a man in his twenties who was shot in the spine. Since then his lower body has been paralysed. He doesn’t feel he has a chance at life. He added, “I was in class 9 at that time. My education has been ruined. My family had to sell our plot in our hometown for paying hospital bills for my treatment. The government only gave two lakhs as compensation. What will I do with it? My life has been ruined. I won’t be able to work and earn for myself.” He is dependent on his family. 

Closing the first session, Aasif Mujtaba asserted, “There are 755 FIRs in the Northeast Delhi violence. There is one specific FIR called FIR 59 that talks about a conspiracy to instigate riots by Muslims. I call this a conspiracy in a conspiracy by the Delhi Police to harass and criminalise Muslims.” 

The next session was moderated by Banojyotsna Lahiri who emphasised, “The Delhi Police is doing a communal investigation. The police didn’t file an FIR against Ragini Tiwari who was doing a live show and calling for violence that time.” Nargis Saifi, wife of incarcerated Khalid Aifi said, “I’m blank after listening to the stories of those who lost their family members during the Delhi riots. There should be an investigation against Delhi Police for torturing Khalid. She added, “The police aren’t investigating, rather they are cooking up stories. Media channels like Aaj Tak and others presented Khalid as a criminal and terrorist. Khalid was only trying to help injured people get treated at Al-Hind Hospital. But he was arrested. On the other hand, Kapil Mishra is out and free.” 

Prabhjit Singh, a journalist with Caravan India, said “The government was afraid that the anti-CAA movement wasn’t getting communal. The government was afraid that people were talking about the Constitution. I must say that the Delhi Government also failed to stop the city from burning and protecting lives. There is no accountability from the police.” 

Ishrat Jahan’s close friend, Sabahat said “Ishrat is a very bold and dynamic person. It has been almost two years now since Ishrat was sent to jail. She has been discriminated against in jail. She was sent to jail for standing up for her community and protecting the Constitution. And for this, she was sent to jail.” 

Sumedha Pal, the journalist with the Wire, said “The mainstream media has been aiding the majority in their attack against the Muslims. They aided the government in demonising the Muslims who were protesting for their right to equal citizenship. They presented rights activists as terrorists. Each day, the hateful prime time debates of mainstream media remind us that there is an impending genocide.” She added, “There is a need to show the situation and what people are going through in Northeast Delhi with sensitivity. The onus lies on us to report the truth and to report is without any bias.” 

Kawalpreet Kaur, an advocate, said “The central government submitted an affidavit in the court and said that they are not liable for anything. This is the condition. These two years have been painful and difficult for people who lost their family members in the violence and whose loved ones are in jail.”

Zafarul Islam, former chairman of Delhi Minority Commission, said “There should be a proper judicial commission to look into the Delhi Violence. There must be an investigation against people like Kapil Mishra, Ragini Tiwari and others who incited the violence. And if we fail to speak on such matters, injustices will keep on happening.” He added, “The intentions of this government are not good. People need to speak up the truth.”