Delhi Police Allowed Violent Attacks Against Muslims: U.S. Commission
The people in the violence-hit areas of Delhi have largely blamed India’s Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and his Home Minister Amit Shah for the murderous riots in Delhi.
By Rakesh Raman
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed grave concern over the ongoing violence taking place in Delhi, India’s capital city.
As President Donald Trump’s inaugural visit (February 24-25) to India winds down, according to USCIRF, northeastern Delhi has been rocked by deadly rioting, with reports of violence and mobs specifically targeting Muslims.
So far, according to the USCIRF statement issued Wednesday (February 26), more than 20 people have been killed in the violence and close to 200 injured. According to reports, several mosques have also been set alight or vandalized.
The USCIRF statement adds that many Muslim residents have been forced to flee the area. This unrest comes in the wake of widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) following its passage in December 2019.
[ Pro-Government Rioters Go on Rampage as Trump Visits Delhi ]
Meanwhile, in an INDIA TODAY TV report of February 26, “Who Set Delhi On Fire? | Ground Zero Delhi With Rajdeep Sardesai” the people in the violence-hit areas of Delhi have largely blamed India’s Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and his Home Minister Amit Shah for the murderous riots in Delhi.
Both Modi and Shah have a criminal record, as they were allegedly responsible for the Gujarat riots of 2002 in which nearly 2,000 Muslims were murdered. Amit Shah was also facing an investigation in the mysterious death of Judge Loya in a case in which Shah was the prime accused, although the investigation was stopped surreptitiously.
In the INDIA TODAY report, people in the affected areas also revealed that Delhi Police was leading the rioters to attack Muslims and their houses with lethal weapons. A similar carnage happened during the Gujarat riots when Modi was the chief minister in the state.
[ Gujarat Model of Riots Hits Delhi. 7 Dead 100 Hurt in Ongoing Violence ]
On Wednesday (February 26), the Supreme Court of India also blamed Delhi Police for the ongoing violence in Delhi. The top court called for the implementation of the Prakash Singh ruling for protecting the police from political interference. This decision is significant because it is largely believed that the ongoing riots in Delhi are happening under the directions of Modi and Shah.
“The brutal and unchecked violence growing across Delhi cannot continue,” said USCIRF Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. “The Indian government must take swift action to ensure the safety of all of its citizens.”
Instead, according to Bhargava, reports are mounting that the Delhi Police have not intervened in violent attacks against Muslims, and the government is failing in its duty to protect its citizens.
“These incidents are even more concerning in the context of efforts within India to target and potentially disenfranchise Muslims across the country, in clear violation of international human rights standards,” Bhargava said.
USCIRF Chair @tperkins: “The ongoing violence we are witnessing in #Delhi and the reported attacks against Muslims, their homes and shops, and their houses of worship are greatly disturbing…” (1/2)#DelhiRiots2020 #DelhiViolence https://t.co/yPFtGZKWpV
— USCIRF (@USCIRF) February 26, 2020
USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins stated, “The ongoing violence we are witnessing in Delhi and the reported attacks against Muslims, their homes and shops, and their houses of worship are greatly disturbing. One of the essential duties of any responsible government is to provide protection and physical security for its citizens, regardless of faith. We urge the Indian government to take serious efforts to protect Muslims and others targeted by mob violence.”
In a statement issued in December 2019, the USCIRF has said that the United States government should consider sanctions against the Home Minister Amit Shah and other principal leadership for introducing discriminatory citizenship laws in India.
In its 2019 Annual Report, USCIRF classified India as a “Tier 2” country for engaging in or tolerating religious freedom violations that meet at least one of the elements of the “systematic, ongoing, egregious standard for designations as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act.
DISCLOSURE: I am an independent journalist and do not belong to any political party. My editorial objectivity and aversion to the flawed political system in India can be assessed from the fact that I have not voted in any Indian election during the past more than 2 decades. I strongly believe that all political parties in India are full of dishonest politicians who are hell-bent to further destroy the country which exists merely as an underdeveloped piece of land on the face of the earth.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications and research reports on different subjects.
