New Delhi: Drone patrolling, intensive rooftop surveillance in sensitive areas of the national capital with deployment of additional police forces and meetings with Aman (peace) committee members are among the major measures taken by the Delhi Police on Sunday to maintain law and order in the city.
Drone patrolling, foot patrolling was done in areas of Jamia Nagar, Jama Masjid, Sangam Vihar, Chandni Mahal, Jasola, Huaz Qasi among other communally sensitive areas including those of northeast which had witnessed violence in 2020.
This comes a day after a clash broke out during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in the city''s Jahangirpuri area in which nine policemen and a civilian was injured. There was stone-pelting and arson during the clashes between two communities that left eight police personnel and a local injured. Some vehicles were also torched.
The Delhi Police arrested 21 people over the violence, including 21-year-old Md. Aslam, who allegedly fired a bullet that hit a sub-inspector and a 35-year-old man alleged to be the "main conspirator" behind the clash.
Police said they have recovered a pistol from Aslam, a resident of a slum cluster in Jahangirpuri's CD Park, which he allegedly used during the commission of crime on Saturday evening.
Aslam has also been found to be involved in a case registered at the Jahangirpuri police station in 2020 under sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
Two juveniles were also apprehended in connection with the incident. Three firearms and five swords have also been seized from the possession of accused persons, they said.
The officials said the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch which with the help of the district police will carry out further investigation in the case.
This is the first communal flare-up in the national capital since the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi which had left over 50 dead and scores injured.
Police holds peace talks
The Delhi Police on Sunday held a meeting with members of Aman committees and asked them to appeal to the people to maintain peace in their areas, officials said.
According to the police, a meeting was organised by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Usha Rangnani with the members of Aman Committee of Jahangirpuri, Mahendra Park and Adarsh Nagar to maintain peace in the area.
"During the meeting, all the members were asked to appeal the public in their areas to maintain peace, harmony and tranquility. They were assured of a professional and fair investigation and due legal action on the part of police," said Rangnani.
The members of the Aman committees were also urged to counter any rumour, misinformation and asked to be vigilant towards the activities of any mischievous or anti-social elements, the officer said.
They were also requested to keep in touch with the police and immediately report anything suspicious, the officer added.
There is a heavy police deployment in Jahangirpuri area where the clashes took place. A team of Rapid Action Force has also been deployed to keep a tight vigil on the situation which is now under control, she said.
'Situation under control'
Situation in Jahangirpuri area is fully under control. Adequate police force has been deployed in the area. Area domination, foot patrolling and deep deployment has been ensured to assure people and to maintain law and order, the officer said.
Preventive patrolling and area domination was undertaken throughout the night in southeast and other sensitive areas of different police districts to ensure peace and tranquility.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sameer Sharma said, "Gauging the present scenario in Delhi and in order to maintain communal peace and harmony, intensive foot patrolling has been done by the our staff along with senior officers in the area of Paschim Vihar and Ranhola."
Further Aman Committee meetings were organized in the areas of Mangolpuri, the officer said, adding steps have been taken to develop faith in police and to assure them not to panic and to realise the normalcy of situation.
FIR reveals more details
Rangnani said an FIR was registered on Saturday under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 147 (rioting) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act sections in connection with the clash that took place in Jahangirpuri.
According to the FIR, one of the alleged main conspirators, Ansar, had an argument with participants of the Hanuman Jayanti procession that escalated and led to stone pelting.
The argument took place when the procession reached in front of the C-Block mosque in Jahangirpuri around 6 pm, the FIR, registered at the Jahangirpuri police station, stated.
Ansar, a resident of Jahangirpuri, has been found to be previously involved in two cases of assault, and he was also arrested repeatedly under preventive sections and booked five times under the Gambling Act and the Arms Act, according to police.
According to the FIR, the procession, which started at 4:15 pm from the EE-Block in Jahangirpuri and moved through BJRM Road, K-Block and BC Market, was passing through these areas peacefully and on the decided route.
But, around 6 pm, when it reached outside a mosque, the accused, Ansar, came there along with four to five other people and started arguing with the procession's participants, it stated.
The argument soon turned violent and members of two communities started pelting stones at each other, the FIR stated.
The FIR was registered on the complaint of Inspector Rajiv Ranjan Singh and he has stated that he along with his team tried to pacify the situation and had separated both the groups. However, after sometime, they again started pelting stones at each other after which he informed the Police Control Room about the development, the complainant said.
Soon after this, more police personnel reached the spot along with senior officials, but by that time, the crowd had turned violent and hurled stones on police personnel and also fired at them in which a sub-inspector suffered a bullet injury to his left hand. Eight police personnel sustained serious injuries, the police said.
Police had to fire 40-50 tear gas shells to contain the violence and disperse the crowd as one community had been pelting stones constantly despite appeal by senior officers to stop and maintain peace, the FIR stated.
Amid the violence, one scooty was torched and five-six cars were vandalised, it said.
Ansar's wife claims conspiracy by police
However, 35-year-old Ansar's wife claimed that her husband is innocent and had gone to stop the situation from going out of control.
He had gone to Wazirabad to buy a laptop and had asked "me around 6:30 pm to keep food ready as he was hungry", Sakina claimed.
When he returned from Wazirabad and "by the time, I went inside (to get his food), he got a call and told me to keep it away as a huge fight had erupted. He said he needs to be there to stop the situation from going out of control or else people would die. He rushed to the spot without his mobile phone and now, they (police) have made him the culprit", the mother of five said.
Ansar's wife told reporters that the procession had passed peacefully through the same route twice before, but the third time when they took out the procession, it was time to open 'Roza'.
"They came with a plan, or how else would they have sticks, bottles and other things to get into a fight. When they reached in front of the mosque, they were asked to lower the noise but they still continued. My husband also suffered an injury," she said.
"He was hit with a bottle in front of a policeman....My husband is innocent. This is a conspiracy to trap him," Sakina added.
Other accused
The 19 others who have been arrested have been identified as Salim (36), Zahid (20), Shahjad (33), Mukhtyaar Ali (28), Mohd. Ali (18), Amir (19), Aksar (26), Noor Alam (28), Zakir (22), Akram (22). Imtyaz (29), Mohd. Ali (27), Ahir (35), Sheikh Saurabh (42), Suraj (21), Neeraj (19), Suken (45), Suresh (43), Sujeet Sarkar (38), all residents of Jahangirpuri.
Salim alias Chikna, 36, has been found to be previously involved in a robbery and attempt to murder case, which is registered at the Jahangirpuri police station.
A Delhi court has sent Ansar and Aslam to one day police custody while the remaining have been sent to 14 days judicial custody.
(With PTI and IANS inputs)
