Delhi Police identifies 15 more involved in Jahangirpuri clashes

At least 15 more people involved in the communal violence in Jahangirpuri on April 16 have been identified by the Delhi Police but they are evading arrest, senior police officers privy to the investigation by the crime branch team said on Tuesday.

They said non-bailable warrants (NBWs) have been issued against the alleged absconding accused and efforts are on to apprehend them at the earliest.

“The locations of at least five of them have been traced to West Bengal. Teams from the crime branch and the special cell have been camping at different places in West Bengal to nab them and prevent them from crossing over to neighbouring countries,” said a senior police officer, asking not to be named.

While investigators refused to reveal the identities of the absconding accused against whom the NBWs have been issued, they said their identification and “active participation” in the communal violence were established after scanning through the footage from over 300 cameras and the interrogation of 36 persons, including three minor boys, who have been apprehended in the case so far.

Clashes broke out between Hindu and Muslim groups during a religious procession in north-west Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on April 16, injuring some policemen and a resident. The violence took place when a procession of 350-400 people, to mark Hanuman Jayanti, was crossing Jahangirpuri’s C-Block, where a scuffle broke out and then escalated into stone pelting.

A case of rioting, arson, attempt to murder, assault and criminal conspiracy was registered by the local police and it was later transferred to the crime branch. So far, the local police and the crime branch have arrested 33 persons and apprehended three minor boys.

“The presence of these absconding suspects at the violence spots has also been established through technical investigation. Our teams have been searching their hideouts in Delhi-NCR, West Bengal and other states as well. Their cellphones are switched off,” another police officer said, also on condition of anonymity.

The officer said although the investigating team had no concrete evidence to confirm that a few of the suspects have fled to Bangladesh or other neighbouring countries, look-out circulars (LOCs) will be issued through the competent authority to nab anyone who has crossed the international borders.

The last arrests were of Tabrez Alam, Zaheer and Anabul last week. A CCTV footage pertaining to the clashes showed Zaheer brandishing a pistol and actively participating in the violence, a crime branch officer said, adding that Tabrez took part in “peace committee” meetings that were organised in Jahangirpuri after the violence to ensure that no one suspected him.

Another police officer associated with the probe said Tabrez was also active during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Delhi in 2020. Since the local police had found him allegedly trying to influence Muslims of Jahangirpuri area for the protests, they had taken preventive action and was bound down under the Code of Criminal Procedure’s (CrPC’s) sections 107 and 150, to prevent him from disturbing the peace and communal harmony.