Union Home Minister Amit Shah To Reply Over Delhi Riots In Lok Sabha, Say Sources

Even as the Opposition plans to target the Narendra Modi government over the Delhi riots, sources say Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to reply in the Lok Sabha over the issue. News Nation has learnt that according to Parliamentary rules, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will decide the timing of Shah’s reply in the Lower House. In case this happens, this would be the first time that the Home Minister will publicly say anything on Delhi riots. So far, only Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reacted on the communal violence, that too, only on Twitter. Shah’s statement in Lok Sabha is part of Modi government’s strategy to counter the Opposition, sources said.

The worst violence that National Capital has witnessed in last four decades, 46 people have died and nearly 300 have been injured. A strange disquiet looms over the areas of North-East Delhi. An Aaj Tak report said that the civic authorities recovered 20 tonnes of bricks and stones from the roads of the area. The Home Minister is facing extra scrutiny as the Delhi Police comes under his purview. The Opposition has repeatedly raised allegations against the Delhi Police for its apathy and inaction during the peak of Delhi riots. A civic society report found out that hundreds of distress calls by panicked residents were not answered by the cops for nearly 72 hours.

Amit Shah chaired three back-to-back emergency meetings to monitor the situation during the Delhi riots. That meeting was also attended by Indian Police Service (IPS) officer SN Srivastava, who was appointed as the special police commissioner. In the meeting, Shah had urged the leaders to rise above politics to tackle the situation, news agency ANI reported. On February 26, there was another meeting that was attended by Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief, Home secretary and other top officials. National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, who was given the charge to bring the Delhi violence under control, visited the office of DCP Northeast.

Meanwhile, the death count in the communal violence that flared up in Delhi on February 24 continues to rise. On Monday, the number of casualties rose to 46. According to news agency ANI, 38 deaths were confirmed at the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, three at the Lok Nayak Hospital, one at Jag Parvesh Chander Hospital and 4 at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. There are reports that several bodies that have still not been recovered from the drains and torched houses. Hence, the total death count may go up significantly. After 72 hours of utter mayhem and total collapse, there have been no incidents of fresh violence or arson from the area.

According to latest figures provided by the Delhi Police, 254 FIRs have been registered. Nearly 1,000 individuals have been either detained or arrested for the alleged involvement in the Delhi riots. A conservative estimate by a business body in the National Capital suggests that nearly properties worth Rs 25,000 crore were destroyed in the communal violence. There are several posts by volunteers on the internet about anti-social characters snatching the relief material. Meanwhile, Gopal Rai, senior AAP leader and minister in Delhi government is likely to visit the riot-affected areas on Monday.

(With agency inputs)