NEW DELHI: Three days after the violence erupted during the Hanuman Shobha Yatra in northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, the police on Tuesday said that main accused Anshar along with other at least four others fought with the people participating in the ‘peaceful’ yatra.
Till 6 pm on the Saturday, everything was going on peacefully. Two processions had already passed by Jama Masjid situated in C Block of Jahagirpuri. Anshar, a history sheeter, appeared on the scene and violence started with stones being thrown from the masjid premises.
Investigations carried out so far by the Delhi Police Crime Branch have revealed that Anshar, Salim alias Chikna and Yunus Imam alias Sonu are not the masterminds, as suspected earlier.
There were people who were pulling strings from behind the curtain. Sources said footprints of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and Popular Front of India (PFI) have been traced to the violence.
There was a sinister conspiracy to singe the national capital but the timely action by the Delhi Police, controlled the situation, sources added.
Earlier, the Delhi Police sought the remand of the accused persons on the grounds that it needed to trace the origin of the weapons that were used. Yunus Imam aka Sonu was caught in a video firing at the procession and it created panic.
The remand copy submitted before the concerned court, states that even though the police personnel tried to stop Anshar, he and his companions did not pay heed.
The remand copy of Anshar, along with Saleem aka Chikna, which has been seen by The New Indian, states that the Hanuman Shobha Yatra procession involved 300-400 people, one chariot, two vehicles with sound systems, and 50 to 60 two wheelers.
“The arguments culminated into stone pelting and stampede. Though the police tried to pacify the situation but the stone-pelting and raising of slogans gained momentum,” the police informed the court.
It also said that nearly 40-50 tear gas shells were fired by the North West district police to control the situation and several police personnel received injuries, including Sub Inspector Meda Lal who received a gunshot injury.
The police said that on the basis of the CCTV footage and identification by the injured persons, 21 persons have been arrested till now and two Children in Conflict with Law (CCL) have been apprehended.
Anshar’s advocate, however, argued that the accused were falsely framed and had nothing to do with the crime.
Meanwhile, the police argued before the court that the situation that transpired on the spot turned into riots as weapons were used.
Since, the investigation is at initial stages, the police said, it needs to piece together the sequence of events and also identify each and every person involved in the violent clashes that unfolded on Saturday in northwest Delhi’s congested and communally volatile area.
Police custody is required to unearth the complete conspiracy and to trace out the entire chain of the events, the public prosecutor argued.
The police also informed the court that the role of each accused person has to be ascertained in detail in order to trace out the entire chain of the incident.
The police also said that the “illegal sources” through which the “weapons” were sourced needs to be unearthed.
The police said that more accused were to be arrested in the case including the real mastermind behind the violence, hinting at a deep-rooted conspiracy.
Submissions heard from the prosecution as well as the accused in detail, the court sent Anshar and Saleem to two days police custody.
It is the first time that the Delhi Police are putting before the court that Anshar, Sonu Chikna and others are not the mastermind, and the investigating team is yet to identify the man behind the Jahangirpuri clashes.
A dozen police teams are scouring the length and breadth of Delhi’s peripheral areas and conducting raids to bring the conspirators to justice.
“The ambit of investigation has been expanded and teams are looking for the people who were in touch with the trouble mongers of Jahagirpuri and may have provided them logistics and arms to attack the religious procession to create communal tension”, a top police official involved in the ongoing probe told The New Indian.
The official added the real motives behind the communal flare up would be revealed once all the players are arrested.