Rioters will not be spared, says HM
Maintaining that the Delhi riots “prima facie appear to be a pre-planned conspiracy”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha that those behind the communal violence will not be spared irrespective of their religion, caste or party affiliation.
With the Opposition seeking his resignation and the Congress staging a walkout in the middle of Shah’s reply, he said the Government has identified the hawala financiers and certain elements in social media behind the flare up and that the Government has written to Delhi High Court Chief Justice with regard to attaching the properties of the rioters.
After hearing the Opposition’s attack during the debate for more than three hours, the Home Minister in counter offensive cited Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s speech in Ramlila Maidan as “violence inciting.”
“After this speech asking people to come out to roads to fight, Shaheen Bagh started in December. If this is not hate speech, which is hate speech,” he asked the Opposition Benches, adding that “January onwards we are aware that hawala money is flowing to incite protests against CAA.”
Shah said three financiers of the protests are in police custody and the cops will go to the bottom of it to find the truth.
Earlier, initiating the debate, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury attacked Shah for non-action and failure to contain the three-day long violence in Delhi.
Demanding the Home Minister’s resignation, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was acting like Emperor Nero playing fiddle when Rome was burning. When Delhi was witnessing violence, Modi was hosting US President Donald Trump in Ahmedabad, the Congress leader said.
He said the situation came under control soon after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited the violence-hit areas. “Why could not the Home Minister go... NSA reports to the Prime Minister. Does this mean that the Prime Minister’s Office had lost faith in the Home Ministry,” Chowdhury said hitting out at Shah. Chowdhury alleged that Delhi High Court judge S Murlidhar was transferred out as he had questioned the failure of the Delhi Police in containing the violence. He said the “midnight” notification was aimed at preventing adverse strictures against the Government.
BJP MPs objected to the mention on Judges and Speaker OM Birla reminded the members to avoid mentions on Judges.
Facing Opposition criticism over alleged inaction by the Delhi Police during the violence last month, Shah appreciated the police for not allowing the riots to spiral. While expressing grief over the death of people in the violence, Shah said the Delhi Police succeeded in controlling riots within 36 hours. He said a total of 2,647 people have been detained or arrested.
Shah said that around 3,000 people entered through UP border to create chaos in the North Eastern area of Delhi. “We will identify these people through face identifying software. Already many involved in violence around 1,200 persons identified. More than 50 social media accounts were created to incite violence and wrong narratives. Some accounts have closed by February 26. By account closing none is going to escape,” said the Home Minister detailing the probe findings.
Reacting to Opposition accusation that he was in the programme of US President Trump, Shah said he attended only the programme in Ahmedabad only as it is his constituency. “Then I was fully engaged with the Delhi Police and Intelligence officials to control the situation. I have not gone to lunch and dinner of US President in Delhi. I was fully with officials and monitoring,” he said.
“We will spare no one irrespective of their religion, caste and political affiliation. Such action will be taken that it will be lesson for the country on what befalls those who indulge in rioting,” he reiterated, asking AIMIM leader Assaduddin Owasi to control his colleague Waris Pathan from hate speeches.
Responding to the Opposition’s criticism on not visiting riot-affected areas, Shah said he didn’t want to divert the attention of Delhi Police at such a sensitive time. “I did not go to the ground because I did not want the police to get distracted and divert their resources for my security,” he said.
Shah said it was on his request that Doval visited the riot-affected areas to raise morale of the Delhi Police. Taking on the Opposition, Shah said the Government wanted a discussion on the Delhi violence in Parliament after Holi to avoid communal flare up during festival time, but some have other priorities.
Strongly defending CAA, he said there were more than 25 laws drafted on the basis of religion, while CAA doesn’t discriminate with anyone. He also said 76 per cent of riot related deaths so far have been under the Congress rule and the party had “no moral right to question us”. He cited the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the controversial statement made by a Congress leader to attack the Opposition party.
Giving details of the casualties due to riots, Shah said, “52 Indians lost their lives during the violence”. Unlike the Opposition, Shah said he doesn’t want to name how many Hindus or Muslims died. “I won’t give figures in ‘Hindu-Muslim’. 52 Indians have died, 526 Indians have been injured. Shops of 371 Indians were set ablaze and houses of 142 Indians were burned,” he said.