New Delhi: No major incident was reported from the riot-hit northeast Delhi in the last 36 hours, the Home Ministry said. The ministry issued the statement after Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the situation in the violence-hit parts of the city in a meeting with senior officials and top police brass.
In several riot-hit areas of northeast Delhi, people could be seen venturing out on to the streets, several vehicles plying on the road and shops being opened. Even as Delhi limps back to normalcy after three days of violence and arson that claimed 39 lives and left more than 200 injured, the sense of fear persisted in the residents' minds.
In a statement released by the ministry, it was informed that the prohibitory orders imposed under section 144 of the CrPC will now be relaxed for a total of 10 hours on Friday in view of improved situations.
The Delhi Police have set up two SITs for an investigation into the riot. As many as 514 suspects were either arrested or detained for questioning, it said. Further arrests would be made in the course of the investigation.
Change of face, change of image?
Senior IPS officer S N Shrivastava will be the next Delhi police commissioner, officials said on Friday. Incumbent Amulya Patnaik demits office on Saturday.
Shrivastava's name has been finalised for the next Delhi police commissioner, a Union Home Ministry official said, adding that he would take charge from Patnaik.
Heavy security blanket
Nearly 7,000 central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the affected areas of northeast District since February 24.
Besides this, the Delhi Police have also deployed three Special CPs, six Joint CPs, one Additional CP, 22 DCPs, 20 ACPs, 60 Inspectors, 1,200 other ranks and 200 lady police under the overall supervision of Commissioner of Police to effectively guide and supervise police response so as to contain and normalise the situation, the statement said.
The Delhi Police have set up helplines 22829334 and 22829335 for round-the-clock assistance. These numbers are being given adequate publicity so that information about miscreants and any emerging situation may be conveyed to police, the statement said.
Adequate steps have been taken to ensure medical support to the injured, the ministry said.
The Delhi Police is mandated and obligated to provide security to all sections of society irrespective of caste and religion, it added.
Reaching out to the community
As a confidence-building measure among different sections of the society, the Delhi Police have started holding peace committee meetings across Delhi to normalise the situation and improve inter-community harmony, the statement said.
Such peace committee meetings would continue till situation normalises, it added.
So far, the statement said, nearly 330 peace committee meetings have been organised in various districts of Delhi in the last two days.
Apart from this, meeting with Residents Welfare Associations (RWA) and Market Welfare Associations (MWA) have also been convened in several areas. Such meetings have been attended by different sections of the society including civil society groups, representatives of different political parties including the Congress, the AAP, the BJP, etc, it said.
The East Delhi Municipal Corporation has already initiated steps to clean the streets and repair damaged public properties in riot-affected areas, the statement said.
Other civic agencies, it said, are also ensuring the civic amenities to the citizens is restored as soon as possible. Movement of traffic on the highway and connecting roads are also returning to normal.
Guterres invokes 'spirit of Gandhi' to ask for community reconciliation
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday invoked the "spirit of Gandhi" to ask for community reconciliation in Delhi that has been wracked by communal violence, according to his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Guterres has been following the situation and is "saddened by the reports of death that we have seen over the past few days in New Delhi", Dujarric said.
The Secretary-General "again reiterates, as he has done in other places, his calls for maximum restraint and violence to be avoided," Dujarric added.
The riots in Delhi started with clashes on Sunday between pro- and anti-new citizenship law activists, which took a violent turn only to become free-for-all riots to scorch the city, instilling fears among residents that may take some time to wane.
(With inputs from agencies)
