Delhi riots: High Court displeased at police report on youth's death

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday expressed itys displeasure over the status report filed by the Delhi Police on the incident in which a 23-year-old youth was forced to sing 'Vande Mataram' and the national anthem during the 2020 Delhi riots.

The youth had later succumbed to the injuries sustained during the violence.

The video of the incident, showing the injured youth, identified as Faizan, lying on the ground as some uniformed men forced him to sing 'Vande Mataram' and the national anthem, had gone viral during the riots.

The report filed in a sealed cover was submitted by the Delhi Police counsel, saying it is an ongoing investigation and people are being identified.

However, the single judge bench of Justice Mukta Gupta said the report is "neither here nor there".

Coming down heavily on the delay of the Delhi Police, she said: "You have done your level best? These were five children who were assaulted. One has died and four are surviving. It is an offence of murder, right? In this case, you have not taken the help of eyewitnesses but gone around the world."

Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for petitioner Kismatun, the mother of the deceased youth, seeking an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team, argued that there was no court direction to file the status report in a sealed cover.

In the last hearing in January also, the same bench had pulled up the Delhi Police over the nearly two years delay in the investigation of the incident.

Kismatun's plea contended that the police had illegally detained her son and denied him critical health care, due to which he succumbed to his injuries. The court had also questioned the delay in tracing the video which went viral during the riots.

The riots broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020 after clashes between anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-CAA protesters took a violent turn. The mayhem, which coincided with then US President Donald Trump's maiden trip to India, saw over 50 people lose their lives.