Delhi Violence: 2 Years Later, Families of Victims Gather at Jantar Mantar, Demand Justice, Rehabilitation

New Delhi: There was sadness, pain and anger among those who had gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on the second anniversary of the communal violence in North East Delhi that left 53 dead.

“Why did riots happen? Who benefitted from it?” were two small yet powerful questions from seven-year-old Ilma summarised the sentiments of those who gathered to demand justice for the victims of the communal violence. Ilma lost her brother Arshad Raza, who worked in a mobile repair shop, when he was returning home from work.

The protest meeting, organised by the Delhi state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), sought speedy investigation and trial for victim families that are still piecing together their broken lives. The protesters demanded  that the families needed broader help in rehabilitation as the compensation could not put these families on track to run their livelihood with ease.

Mallika, a mother of three children, narrated her ordeal as she could not save her husband from the “blood thirsty mob” which broke the lock of the house, dragged her husband out of wooden bed where he hid to save his life.

“I called the police officials who were standing outside my home to save my husband, but we were called names. They murdered my husband in front of my children”, she said. After two years, Mallika is still expecting justice for her husband Musharraf who worked as a driver. Living under trauma and fear, Mallika has shifted her home twice to keep her children safe.

Talking to NewsClick, Sehba Taban from the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), said there were a couple of issues that need to be addressed to ensure rehabilitation of families of the victims.

“During our work, it was clear that all these families were working class families. The bread winners worked as drivers, carpenters, painters etc. The wives do not have any skill. In several cases, the in-laws have kept the compensation money and have abandoned the wives and children. As far as the Delhi government is concerned, we did not expect much from it after it abandoned its leader Tahir Hussain. Congress followed suit and did not own Ishrat Jahan. But the community still needs a healing touch and we are here to say that they are not alone in this journey,” she said.

Addressing the gathering, Brinda Karat, former Rajya Sabha member and politburo member of CPI(M) said the purpose of these open testimonies was not to refresh the trauma of the victims' families’  but to reaffirm that justice was not delivered.

“It becomes unbearable to listen to the pain and trauma of these victim families. It is indeed very painful to recall the horror and tell the world how members of working class families were butchered while the children pleaded for mercy from murderers, but the truth must be told that the rioters went ahead with massacre with impunity and the Delhi Police remained a mute spectator. These testimonies are necessary to gather courage and say that we will not stop this struggle. I am here to say that you are not alone in this fight,” she said.

Karat said the Delhi government cannot run away from its responsibility to rehabilitate the families by merely disbursing compensation.

“I asked Ilma if she is attending school. She said she is not because she does not have a school bag, tiffin and sipper. This honest statement speaks volumes about the status of the victim families. When families are talking about justice, they are pointing to the Delhi Police too which works under the supervision of Amit Shah, the Minister for Home Affairs. One of the trial courts asked about the status of cases registered in connection with the Delhi violence for the first time in June 2021. It again asked for it in October 2021. After a gap of six months, it finally submitted its report in January 2022,” she said.

Accusing the Delhi Police of shoddy investigation, Karat said: “The report stated that it has registered a total of 758 cases. Out of these cases, 695 cases are handled by Delhi Police, 62 cases related to murder and arson and are looked after by the crime branch. In 50% cases, it could not complete its investigation. In cases where it could submit chargesheets, it needed further investigation in 62% of cases. This clearly means that there is no trial in a single case related to the violence. In one of the cases in Bhagirathi Vihar where a house was looted, vandalised and burnt, the court asked if they interrogated three culprits and the police said it could not do so. It is clear that these culprits were associated with the ruling party.”

Karat further said that there was “a clear pattern” through which the officials of Delhi Police were denying justice. “Even when the victims could identify the culprits, the police clubbed 25 cases in a single FIR. The court had to pass the remark if the Delhi Police was really interested in delivering justice.”

Expressing dismay at the conduct of the higher judiciary in identifying the culprits of violence, Karat said: “A judge who played out the speeches of Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra (BJP leaders) in the open court, was transferred in a matter of hours from Delhi High Court to Punjab and Haryana High Court. When the secretary of CPI(M) Delhi and I approached the court in the matter, it could not give us a single hearing. I also want to tell these courts that even they can’t take away the Right to Justice enshrined in the Indian Constitution. We will fight for it and get it,” she added.