Delhi Violence: How ‘Kattar Hindu Ekta’ WhatsApp Group Mobilised Rioters for Killings

New Delhi: The Delhi Police Crime Branch investigations into the murder of nine Muslims at and around Bhagirathi Vihar in North-East Delhi on February 25 and February 26 has led to a WhatsApp group, which was created to mobilise rioters. The investigators have filed three chargesheets in connection with three of the murder cases (FIR numbers 102/20, 103/20 and 104/20).

A glaring “extra judicial confession” has been made in the group by a 19-year-old who claimed to have murdered many people and thrown their bodies in a drain. A detailed transcript of the conversations in the group has been attached with the chargesheet.

“Bhai mai Ganga vihar se Lokesh Solanki hun agar kisi ko koi problem ho aur wha log km pde to bta dena mai apni puri ganga vihar ki team k sath aayunga sara saman hai hamare pas goli bandook sab kuch...tumhare bhai ne abhi 9 baje k karib b.vihar me 2 m***a mare hai aur nale me fenke hai apni team ke sath.”

“Brother, I am Lokesh Solanki from Ganga Vihar. Let me know if there is any problem or shortage of people. We will be there with the entire Ganga Vihar team. We have everything necessary – bullets, guns and everything...your brother has just killed two Muslims at around 9 p.m. in Bhagirathi Vihar and thrown them into the drain with the help of my team.”

Solanki aka Rajput, a resident of Ganga Vihar posted this message at 1:39 p.m. on February 26 in a WhatsApp group called ‘Kattar Hindu Ekta’. The group, according to the police, was formed at 12:49 p.m. on February 25 — the second day of the violence.

Initially, there were 125 members in the group, of which 47 had left it by March 8. The police have seized mobile phones of as many as 12 members and sent them for a forensic examination.

The Incident

At least nine Muslim men were murdered from the evening of February 25 till late on the night of February 26 near Johripur Puliya, Bhagirathi Vihar, near Ganga Vihar Nala under Gokalpuri police station. Their bodies were found over a period of several days in the drains in the area.

Those who were killed and their bodies dumped the drain at Johripur Puliya, Bhagirathi Vihar, are Mursalin, Aas Mohammad, Musharraf, Aamin, Bhure Ali alias Salman, Hamza, Akil Ahmed and two brothers, Hashim Ali and Aamir Khan.

Their names have been taken from the FIRs lodged at the Gokalpuri police station.

Transcript of the WhatsApp Chat:

Here’s is an excerpt of the ‘Kattar Hindu Ekta’ group conversation from February 26, taken from the chargesheet filed in connection with the incident.

February 26, 9:45 a.m. – Vinay aka Binni: sare taiyaar rho (Everyone, be ready)

February 26, 8:29 p.m. – Binni: Bhai taiyaar rho kaam start hone vala hai (Brother, be ready. The work is about to begin)

February 26, 8:29 p.m. – Binni: taiyaar rhosare (Be ready, everyone)

February 26, 8:30 p.m. – Binni: puliya se pipeline ki trf aarge hai s*** (The pigs are coming towards the pipeline from the culvert)

February 26, 8:44 p.m. – +91 97******47: Aane du in m***o ka s*** bna denge (Let them come, we will make pigs out of these Muslims)

February 26, 10:22 p.m. – +91 70******04: Bhaio ye danga q ho raha h nale par abhi jo hua tha (Brothers, why did the riot take place; the one that happened near the drain)

February 26, 10:22 p.m. – +91 70******04: Jhoripur nale par (At Johripur drain)

February 26, 10:24 p.m. – +91 96******09: Dikat lag rhi he 6 no me sab ready rhena (There seems to be some trouble at number six. Be ready, everyone)

February 26, 11:39 p.m. – +91 75******09 (Lokesh Solanki): Bhai Mai Ganga Vihar se lokesh Solanki hu agr kisi ko koi problem ho or wha log Kam pde to bta dena Mai apni Puri Ganga Vihar ki team k sath aayunga Sara Saman hai humare pass goli bandook sab kuch

(Brother, I am Lokesh Solanki from Ganga Vihar. If anyone has any problem or shortage of people, let me know. I will be there with my entire Ganga Vihar team. We have everything — gun, bullet and all)

February 26, 11:40 p.m. – +91 75******09 (Lokesh Solanki): Bhai Pura support hai abhi Hindu bhaiyo ko (Brother, there is full support for Hindu brothers.)

February 26, 11:40 p.m. – +91 75******09 (Lokesh Solanki): Bilkul bhai Ganga Vihar gokulpuri jhoripur sb sath hai tumhare (Absolutely brother, Ganga Vihar, Gokulpuri, Jauhripur, everyone is with you.)

February 26, 11:41 PM – +91 97******96: 15 k Dane h kya (Does anyone have bullets for a .315 bore pistol?)

February 26, 11:41 p.m. – +91 97******96: Kisi Bhai k pass (Does any brother have it?)

February 26, 11:41 p.m. – +91 95******96: Monty Nagar.vcf (file attached)

February 26, 11:41 p.m. – +91 95******96: Bahi ad kro bhai ktr hindu h (Add him, he is a Hindu fanatic)

February 26, 11:41 p.m. – +91 95******96: Yeh (This guy)

February 26, 11:41 p.m. – +91 75******09 (Lokesh Solanki): Pistol hai

February 26, 11:42 p.m. – +91 75******09 (Lokesh Solanki): Humare pass (We have a pistol)

February 26, 11:42 p.m. – +91 97******96: Faltu h kya (Do you have some extra)

February 26, 11:42 p.m. – +91 97******96: Bhai goli h Kya 315 ki (Brother, does anyone have bullets for a .315 pistol?)

February 26, 11:44 p.m. – +91 75******09 (Lokesh Solanki): Tumhare Bhai ne abhi 9 bje k krib b.vihar m 2 m***a mare hai (Your brother has just killed two Muslims at 9 p.m. in Bhagirathi Vihar)

February 26, 11:44 p.m. – +91 75******09 (Lokesh Solanki): Or nale m feka hai (and have thrown them in the drain with the help of our team.)

February 26, 11:44 p.m. – +91 97******47: Bilkul Lokesh bhai (Absolutely, brother Lokesh.)

February 26, 11:44 p.m. – +91 75******09 (Lokesh Solanki): Apni team k sath (It was carried out with the help of my team)

February 26, 11:44 p.m. – +91 70******04: Haa bhai (Yes brother)

February 26, 11:45 p.m. – +91 97******47: Ha (Yes)

February 26, 11:45 PM – +91 75******04: Rajput bhai bhagirath vihar me bande bhej do [Brother Rajput (Lokesh Solanki), send men to Bhagirathi Vihar]

February 26, 11:45 p.m. – +91 75******09: Bhai abhi thodi aarhe hai hum sab raily lekr (We are reaching there soon with a rally)

February 26, 11:45 p.m. – +91 75******09: B.vihar m (In Bhagirathi Vihar)

February 26, 11:45 p.m. – +91 97******96: Koi dikkt na h Bhaiyo (there is no problem, brothers)

February 26, 11:49 p.m. – +91 75******09: Vinay tumhe pta hai na tumhara Bhai sbse aage rhta hai aise kamo m (Vinay, you know that your brother is at the forefront in such matters)

The Accused and the Charges

The police have arrested nine people in connection with the murders. They are Lokesh Solanki aka Rajput (19), Pankaj Sharma (31), Ankit Chaudhary aka Fauzi (23), Prince (22), Jatin Sharma aka Rohit (19), Himanshu Thakur (19), Vivek Panchal aka Nandu (20), Rishabh Chaudhary aka Tapas (20) and Sumit Chaudhary aka Badshah (23).

They were allegedly members of the group. All of them have been booked under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and are in judicial custody at the moment.

Modus Operandi

Based of the analysis of their cell phone locations, the police have alleged that the accused were continuously wandering in the riot-hit areas — Gokalpuri, Ganga Vihar, Johripuri, Johripur Extension, Nala Road Bhagirathi Vihar.

After confirming the religious identity of their targets, the group members would force them to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. Those who refused were killed and their bodies were thrown in the drain.

“...they were actively involved in rioting and attacking other community people belonging to different religion i.e. Muslim and during riots, they killed many people by attacking them. Their modus operandi was, they used to catch the people and ascertain their religion by asking name, address and by their document i.e. Identity Card and they were forcing them to call ‘Jai Shri Ram’ many times. The person who was not calling ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and carrying the identity of a Muslim, they were bluntly attacked and thrown into the Main Ganda Nala, Bhagirathi Vihar, Delhi (sic),” alleged the investigators in the chargesheet.

Questions that Beg Answers

1. The investigators have suggested in the chargesheet that the motive behind the crime was to “take revenge” from “Muslim rioters” who were “killing Hindus and destroying their properties by arson and setting their houses on fire”. They have further claimed that the riots took place in a “planned manner” resulting out of a “well hatched conspiracy” by anti-CAA (Citizenship (Amendment) Act) protestors.

These conclusions indicate that the killing of Muslim men by the Hindu rioters were just reactionary acts, and not pre-planned. However, Lokesh, in his “extra judicial confession” on the WhatsApp group said he and his group had “bullets, guns and everything”, which shows that there preparation in place.

2. Despite the fact that they were active participants in the ‘Kattar Hindu Ekta’ group, at least five cell phone numbers in the WhatsApp group have not been identified or named in the three chargesheets.

Significant Omissions

1. Giving a detailed chronology of the anti-CAA protests, the police said the blockade of the 66 Foota Road at the Jaffrabad Metro Station by anti-CAA protestors created an “extremely tense and polarised” atmosphere in the area. Some people demanding the re-opening of the carriage way of the road assembled at Maujpur Chowk, which is about 750 meters from Jafrabad Metro Station.

This resulted in stone pelting between anti and pro-CAA protestors, the police said. The tension then spread to other areas like Welcome, Jafrabad, Dayalpur, Usmanpur, Bhajanpura, Gokalpuri and Khajuri Khas, and incidents of stone pelting were reported from various areas. There were full blown riots between Hindus and Muslims on February 24.

The investigators conveniently ignored the alleged provocative speech made at Maujpur traffic signal by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra, that was followed by heavy stone pelting between the two sides. Mishra’s speech was caught on camera, wherein he had given a three-day “ultimatum” to the police to clear the roads; otherwise, he would take to the streets and not even listen to the cops after three days.

2. Nisar Ahmed, one of the eyewitnesses in the three chargesheets had lodged a detailed complaint at Gokalpuri police station with regard to the violence at Nala Road at Johripur Puliya between Bhagirathi Vihar and Ganga Vihar. He had identified many rioters in the complaint, but many of them — including BJP councillor Kanhaiya Lal — do not figure in the three chargesheets.