A Timeline of Recent Communal Violence in Delhi

Over the last few months, Delhi has been witness to a series of communal conflicts in different parts of the city. In most cases, these incidents have been planned and engineered by various outfits of the Sangh Parivar with active collaboration of legislators and local leaders of the BJP. While each incident has its particularities, most of the communal episodes follow a common pattern. Some of the common elements are – an initial orchestrated incident that serves as a potent rallying point for communal propaganda and incitement, a widespread campaign of rumour and misinformation, and planned attempts to precipitate tensions to the point of violence. Further, in most cases the police played a dubious role.

These incidents of communal polarization are clear attempts at fomenting hate to reap electoral benefits. They are being engineered with an eye on the coming Delhi elections. A strategy tried and tested in other parts of the country, communal animosity remains the most reliable electoral plank for the Hindu right. As the Delhi elections draw closer, such efforts to breed hatred are bound to intensify. These designs can only be defeated by constant and active vigilance by secular and democratic sections.

The following is a timeline of the recent communal flash-points in Delhi. The aim is to provide a consolidated birds’ eye view, for ready reference, of the unfolding communal project of the Sangh in the city. It has been compiled from press reports and other sources. Particularly helpful has been the fact finding report prepared by the Nagarik Ekta Manch. It must be remembered, however, that since the current Hindutva onslaught affects every aspect of public life, from the large-scale to the mundane, any such compilation will necessarily be selective and limited.         

1st August (Nand Nagri):  A local altercation is sought to be escalated in a communal direction by outsiders in Nand Nagri area in north-east Delhi. Twelve people are injured. Timely intervention by local residents, however, prevents aggravation.  

Image courtesy- the hindu

2nd October (Bawana):  Hindu Krantikari Sena, affiliated to the RSS, instigates residents of Bawana village, in north-east Delhi, with false claims of cattle stealing and cow slaughter. A scrap dealer from Bawana JJ Colony (set up in 2004, after slum demolition in Saraswati Vihar, Nizamuddin and Yamuna Pushta) is beaten up. Muslim houses are arbitrarily searched by Hindu Krantikari Sena activists. A motorcycle rally against cow slaughter is organized under open police protection.

3rd and 4th October (Bawana): Cases are registered against residents of JJ Colony for “ill-treating” and slaughtering camels. Inflammatory, communal posters, calling for a gathering at Bawana Gaushala, are put up. Roads are blocked by Hindu Krantikari Sena activists.

5th October (Bawana): At a meeting called at nearby Harveli village, people from 10-12 neighbouring villages assemble and pledge to abstain from eating non-vegetarian food and protect cattle.

6th October [Bakri Id] (Bawana): Under pressure from secular organizations, police presence in the area is increased, and violence is averted. Police is asked to maintain presence until Muharram as Muslim residents fear escalation of tensions.

11th October  (Jorbagh): Stones are pelted by a mob at the Jorbagh Karbala in south Delhi, injuring dozens of children and causing serious damage to the property of the dargah. Police passively witnesses the attack.  

Image courtesy- Indian express

23rd October [Diwali] (Trilokpuri):  A local altercation in Block 20, Trilokpuri, is given communal colour, and violence breaks out. BJP MLA, Sunil Vaidya, actively fuels religious sentiments.

24th October (Trilokpuri): A large mob numbering hundreds, led by a BJP-affiliated group, enter Block 20 and start firing and throwing stones. RAF and police are called in. Police opens fire injuring several people. Violence and tension spread to other blocks of Trilokpuri. At night, the police arrest more than 20 without due process, largely belonging to the Muslim community.

mage courtesy- india today

25th October (Trilokpuri): Riots, arson and looting take place across several blocks in Trilokpuri. A prominent departmental store in the area is burnt down. Police continues illegal arrests, mostly of poor Muslim construction workers. Late in the evening, Section 144 is imposed, a full two days after the commencement of violence.

26th October (Trilokpuri): Those arrested in Trilokpuri are produced in court. There are clear indications that they were subjected to violence, torture and starvation in custody. Despite obvious irregularities in the arrest and investigative procedure, most of them continue to be behind bars even now.

25th – 31st October (Bawana): An ‘aman shanti sabha’ to be held on 1st November by residents of Bawana JJ Colony, in a spirit of communal harmony, is denied permission by the police on false grounds of possible incitement of violence. Muslim residents of JJ Colony are asked by authorities to re-route the Taziya procession according to the wishes of the fundamentalist forces. On 28th October, Muslims of JJ Colony, in the face of open intimidation and muscle-flexing by Sangh outfits, agree to limit the procession to the colony itself. 

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1st November (Bawana): In spite of this assurance, communal pamphlets are distributed asking the villagers to stop the “terror procession” and calling for a “Mahapanchayat” of around 50 villages at Bawana the next day.

mage courtesy- ndtv

2nd November (Bawana): Authorities allow communal forces to hold “Mahapanchayat” in Bawana without any written permission. People are mobilized from Harayana and Delhi. Gugan Singh Ranga, BJP MLA of Bawana constituency, makes speeches instigating and threatening violence amidst a large presence of ABVP activists. Local leaders of Sangh-affiliated outfits like the Rohini Dharmik aur Sanskritik Sabha are present at the meeting, and exhort the attendees to be prepared to take violent action against Muslims in the area. This is done in full public view with a large media (who record the speeches) and police presence. No case is registered against any of the leaders for inciting communal violence.

4th November [Muharram] (Bawana):  The Muharram procession, confined to JJ colony, is held under heavy police presence as a result of pressure from secular organizations. Students from JNU, however, are not allowed to enter Bawana by the police citing the sensitive situation in the area. Some students are detained. 

5th November ( Madanpur Khadar, Okhla): A dead pig is found inside a mosque in the Madanpur Khadar area of Okhla. The Imam of the Mosque immediately informs the police, and ensures that the mosque is cleaned up at the earliest. Local residents form a “peace committee” and urge restraint. These timely efforts make sure that a flare up is averted.

mage courtesy- muslim mirror 

9th November (Babarpur): A sack containing a cow carcass is placed by unidentified men outside a prominent restaurant in Noor-e-Ilahi, Babarpur, at 9 PM. The owner of the restaurant is Muslim. Within minutes, a group of outsiders gather outside the shop and start raising inflammatory and communal slogans against the restaurant owner. They actively start mobilizing people, which eventually results in a scuffle. Active solidarity shown by the local residents, however, frustrates these efforts. 

mage courtesy- the indian express

11th November (Babarpur): In the neighbouring Ghonda area of Babarpur, the Yuva Hindu Sangh organizes a “panchayat” with a clear intent to provoke communal sentiments, and distributes pamphlets with inflammatory content.

25th November  (Rangpuri Pahadi, Vasant Kunj): Targeted demolition of Israeli camp, a predominantly Muslim slum settlement in the Rangpuri Pahadi area of Vasant Kunj. More than 900 housing units are bulldozed, rendering thousands, including over 2000 children, homeless. Exposure to cold weather results in the death of a 70 year old man, with official relief efforts being negligible.  No eviction notices had been issued before the demolition. The demolition was in violation of several legal provisions including the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2011, and a Supreme Court directive prohibiting such evictions in the winter.   

mage courtesy- newslaundry

1st December (Dilshad Garden): St. Sebastian Church in Dilshad Garden is burnt down. The church windows are broken, and the altar, cross and holy books are vandalized. Kerosene is discovered in the attic. The police, arriving three hours late, claims, however, that the fire was caused by a short circuit. The forensics team reaches eleven hours late, only after church members agitate in large numbers. Delhi Archbishop seeks judicial probe into the fire. Under pressure, the police finally register a case of arson. The estimated losses exceed Rs 1 crore.

2nd December  (Dilshad Garden): More than a thousand people protest against police and governmental inaction outside the Delhi police headquarters at ITO. Opposition parties protest the Dilshad Garden incident in the parliament and seek to hold the government accountable. The Lt. Governor of Delhi forms a Special Investigating Team to probe the matter.

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6th December (Jasola, Okhla):  Stones are thrown at a Syro-Malabar Catholic church in the Jasola area of Okhla during evening mass. The window panes of the church are smashed. Though the police is immediately informed, no criminal case is registered.

mage courtesy- matters india

8th December (Trilokpuri): Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti addresses a rally in Trilokpuri and, in a thinly veiled manner, justifies her earlier references to minorities as “haraamzadas”. This is just days after Narendra Modi, in the face of enormous protest and pressure, expressed “regret” over Niranjan Jyoti’s remarks.