‘Violence Has No Benefit To Bharat Mata’: Rahul Gandhi After Visiting Delhi’s Riots-Hit Northeast District

Rahul Gandhi led Congress delegation on Wednesday visited the riot affected national capital’s Northeast district. Gandhi who visited a vandalised school in Brijpuri, said, “This school is the future of Delhi. Hate and violence has destroyed it. This violence is of no benefit to Bharat Mata. Everybody has to work in together and take India forward at this time.” The party has been attacking the Centre for failing to curb the violence in Delhi that started on February 24 when pro- and anti-CAA protesters clashed. The situation escalated after BJP leader Kapil Mishra called a gathering on Sunday. Mishra demanded that police remove the anti-CAA protestors within three days. Since then northeast Delhi has been on the boil.  It has also been witnessing spurts of violence.

Delhi: Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders leave for violence-affected areas of North East Delhi. #DelhiViolence pic.twitter.com/q2YPcWCD0I

— ANI (@ANI) March 4, 2020

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had condemned the violent incidences in the city. He took to twitter and wrote," The violence today in Delhi is disturbing & must be unequivocally condemned. Peaceful protests are a sign of a healthy democracy, but violence can never be justified. I urge the citizens of Delhi to show restraint, compassion & understanding no matter what the provocation."

The death count in the communal violence that flared up in Delhi continues to rise. On Monday, the number of casualties rose to 47. According to officials, 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. 

(With PTI Inputs)