High Court orders tight security for peaceful Eid in Uttam Nagar

The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the city police and administration to ensure a conducive atmosphere for the peaceful and dignified observance of Eid in Uttam Nagar, where a 26-year-old man was killed in a clash on Holi.

A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said the police bandobast in the area should be such that it instils a sense of safety and security in all.

The bench directed the authorities to ensure that no one plays any mischief that has the potential to create any “untoward situation”.

It clarified that the police arrangements in the area shall continue till the upcoming festival of Ram Navami.

The order was passed on a PIL filed by a civil rights group, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, which approached the Delhi High Court on Wednesday to prevent “imminent communal violence” on Eid in Uttam Nagar. The petition came up for hearing after a petitioner’s counsel mentioned the matter before the Chief Justice’s bench for an urgent listing during the day.

After hearing the parties, the court said Eid is a festival to rejoice, and it is the duty of all authorities to ensure that on such a “pious occasion”, public life is not disrupted by any untoward incident of vandalism or hooliganism by any individual or any section of society.

It observed that the apprehensions in the petition arose from the incident of the death of a youth in the area on March 4, and therefore, the police must be “extra cautious” and ensure that “all sections of society maintain restraint considering the past incident”.

“We thus direct the police and civil administration of the area to take all required action, permissible under law, to ensure that the situation does not take any ugly turn and an atmosphere is created conducive to peaceful and dignified observance of the festival of Eid, which is likely to be tomorrow,” the court ordered.

“Police bandobast to be made should be such as will instil a sense of safety and security in all. The authority shall also ensure that no one from any section of the society is permitted to play any kind of mischief, having the potential of creating any untoward situation,” it further said. The court added that if, upon assessment of the situation, a need is felt to strengthen the arrangements, such measures shall be forthwith taken by the authorities.

“The situation as described in the petition not only calls upon authorities to be at constant strict vigil, but it also calls upon members of different sections of society to maintain restraint and conduct themselves in a manner which may promote peace and harmony and not cause any situation which may turn ugly,” the bench further said. The court issued notice on the PIL and listed it for hearing on April 6.

Advocate Sanjay Lao, standing counsel for Delhi Police, assured that adequate police personnel from Dwarka district, additional force from Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been deployed to ensure Eid passes without incident. Since March 5, adequate police arrangements have been made on a round-the-clock basis in Uttam Nagar JJ colony as well as the neighbouring areas, and several preventive actions have been taken, Lao told the court.

He informed that eight companies of armed police personnel are present in all eleven areas under police stations in Dwarka district, and hundreds of police personnel are on vigil.

He further said that 50 inflammatory posts were taken down from social media platforms following monitoring of online platforms, and requests have been made to take down about 170 such posts to date.

Extensive verification has also been undertaken of over 8,000 persons in the area. “Aman committees” have been formed at every police station and 30 meetings have been held with the heads of religious places in the last two weeks, the police counsel further said.

“Please tell the authorities not to be lax. Whatever happens in Delhi has its ripple,” the bench told the Delhi Police counsel.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, said the area is “saturated with security”, and the police have done commendable work. Senior advocate Nitya Ramkrishnan, who appeared for the petitioner, submitted that on March 15, certain people openly called for violence against the members of the Muslim community in Uttam Nagar, but no action was taken for hate speech by the police.

The public interest litigation plea has said the death of the man, Tarun, on Holi has been communalised through “coordinated dissemination of inflammatory content, mobilisation of crowds and organisation of protests and public gatherings”.

The plea has asserted that multiple rallies and assemblies organised across Delhi have openly incited violence against members of the Muslim community, specifically targeting the Eid festival, yet authorities have failed to take action.

Besides seeking directions for the maintenance of law & order situation in the area on Eid, the PIL has also prayed for the registration of FIRs over the “hundreds of hate-speech videos” related to the Uttam Nagar incident that are widely circulated on social media.

Several people, including a minor, have been apprehended in connection with the death of the 26-year-old man in a clash between two neighbouring families with long-standing disputes during Holi celebrations in southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar.