Delhi death toll increases, but city showing signs of normalcy

New Delhi : Shiromani Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral said on Thursday that the Delhi Police's "inaction" towards protecting the lives and properties of minorities in the national capital is "reminiscent" of what happened during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The lawmaker, whose party is a BJP ally, said no one would want a repeat of 1984. Speaking to PTI after shooting off a letter to Delhi Police chief Amulya Patnaik, Gujral, the son of former PM I K Gujral, said that minorities in certain parts of the city are "frightened".

"Because their lives and properties have not been protected by the Delhi Police, which is very similar to what we saw in 1984. It's shocking."

Gujral said the police took no action on his request for assistance to 16 Muslims who were trapped in a house in northeast Delhi's Maujpur locality on Wednesday night while a mob was trying to break in, despite him telling them he is a Member of Parliament.

"I explained the urgency of the situation and told the operator that I am a Member of Parliament. At 11:43 pm, I received a confirmation from the Delhi Police that my complaint had been received along with the reference number 946603... However, much to my disappointment, no action was taken on my complaint and those 16 individuals received no assistance whatsoever from the Delhi Police" Gujral said.

The Akali Dal MP said the 16 Muslims managed to escape only because some Hindu neighbours came to their rescue. "If this is the situation when a Member of Parliament makes a complaint personally, it is not surprising that certain parts of Delhi continue to burn while the police stands by apathetically." the letter added.

Nationalist Congress Party alleged that "Gujarat model" has been replicated in Delhi which has witnessed large-scale communal violence over the CAA. The NCP called for Union Home Minister Amit Shahs resignation.

The responsibility of maintaining law and order in Delhi is with the Union home ministry. Maharashtra minister and NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik also demanded a probe into whether the Home Minister could not handle the situation in the national capital or he had allegedly given instructions to the police to not respond quickly to the situation.

A total of 113 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and Delhi Police are deployed in the strife-torn areas of the national capital to maintain law and order, the Union Home Ministry said on Thursday.

One company of CAPF or Delhi Police consists of around 105 to 115 personnel.

The camera drones pressed into service by the police and security forces in the violence-affected neighbourhoods of east Delhi have been playing a crucial role in checking any further escalation in tension. The area has witnessed violent clashes around the CAA that has claimed over 30 lives so far.

According to sources, the local residents are also assisting the security forces in their bid to maintain peace by providing information on "suspicious elements and movements". A Maujpur resident said: "The presence of paramilitary forces has brought a sense of security to the people here."

"People here are feeling relieved due to the presence of security forces. We have also maintained a vigilance in the streets along with security forces after midnight," another resident said.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday made the Centre a party in the PIL which has sought lodging of FIRs and arrests in communal violence in northeast Delhi over the amended citizenship law and gave it four weeks to file a reply to the petition.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said that "looking at the complexity of the situation", the central government was seeking more time to file a reply to the plea which has also sought lodging of FIRs against three BJP leaders over their alleged hate speeches in connection with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) related violence.

Haryana Minister Ranjit Chautala said that "riots are part of life".

"Riots happens. It happened in the past also. The entire Delhi was burning when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. It is the part of life," said Chautalawhile speaking to media in New Delhi.

Amid an eerie calm in northeast Delhi's Shiv Vihar, where communal violence broke out four days ago, 26-year-old Rahul Solanki's body was taken to a crematorium by his distraught kin and armed paramilitary personnel.

Solanki, who was pursuing his LLB from a private college in Ghaziabad, had stepped out on Monday to buy milk. He died after he was shot in the right shoulder near his neck, his father Hari Singh Solanki said.

"We took his body home from GTB Hospital. We wanted police and paramilitary forces to give us protection till we reached the crematorium to perform his final rites," he said. Senior police officers present in the area had assured the family members that they will be provided security.

A friend of Rahul, who was with him when he was shot, said they could not see who fired at him. "We saw a mob approaching us and began to run. We were barefeet and Rahul went to put on his slippers. While he was putting them on, some unidentified persons shot him dead," he said.

India on Thursday hit out at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for its statement on Delhi violence, saying the comments are factually inaccurate and misleading. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also urged bodies like the OIC not to make irresponsible statements at this sensitive time.

Expressing "grave concern" over the violence in Delhi, a US commission on international religious freedom urged the Indian government to take swift action for the safety of its citizens.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that the Indian government should provide protection to people regardless of their faith amid reports of attack on Muslims and expressed "grave concern" over the violence.

A day after US lawmakers reacted sharply to the violence in the Indian capital, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Washington accused US President Donald Trump of failing on the issue of human rights. Slamming the US president, Bernie Sanders said Trump's statement regarding the violence in New Delhi during his India visit was a "failure of leadership".

"Over 200 million Muslims call India home. Widespread anti-Muslim mob violence has killed at least 27 and injured many more. Trump responds by saying "That's up to India". This is a failure of leadership on human rights," Sanders tweeted on Wednesday.

Gneral secretary BJP BL Santhosh, deleted his tweet after responding sharply to Sanders's criticism.

Santhosh tweeted in reply: "However much ever neutral we wish to be you compel us to play a role in presidential elections. Sorry to say so...But you are compelling us."