A report on the Delhi anti-CAA riots (Delhi anti-Hindu riot) submitted by NGO Call for Justice has blamed radical groups such as Pinjra Tod and Jamia Coordination Committee and organisations such as PFI for the communal violence that claimed the lives of 53 individuals. The report was submitted to Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday.
A leading forensic pathologist, who has previously assisted the CBI in the Gujarat Riots case and the Ishrat Jahaan encounter case, and a public prosecutor for the NIA were part of the six-member group. Other members included retired civil service officials and high court judges. OpIndia happens to be the most cited website in the said report. OpIndia has been cited 10 times in the 70-page report.
The report says, “Various radical groups such as Pinjra Tod, Jamia Coordination Committee, Alumni Association of Jamia Milia Islamia, Popular Front of India (PFI), etc., and the local politicians from AAP, suddenly, after election in Delhi, accelerated misinformation, hate speech campaigns using Anti-CAA as a basis.”
“Further, in order to augment the hate speech narrative and map it with emotions, fear and religion, these radical groups managed to get the narratives delivered from the Mosques in daily meetings through Imams and also through the Azaan, broadcasted from loudspeakers in these localities multiple times daily,” it adds.
The report further stated, “The objective of the attack was to create a permanent atmosphere of hostility between the Hindus and Muslims and since the entire CAA episode was painted as an Anti Muslim campaign, these radical groups had no choice but to exploit the Muslim community for their ulterior objective of dividing the country on communal lines.”
It added, “The Hindu community was totally unaware about the attacks while the attackers belonging to the Muslim community meticulously planned. The testimonies of a few of the witnesses/ victims reveal that on 24/02/2020, Muslims school were closed and even the parents of Muslims children withdrew their wards from Hindu schools at around 10:00 a.m., prior to the attacks.”
The report recommends that an investigation be launched into Islamic outfits who were behind the riots and trial of the riot cases be expedited in the designated courts. It also implores the government for effective monitoring of social media so that misinformation can be countered in real time. It recommends that fake news websites which circulated hate speech and misinformation campaigns ought to be prosecuted. The report seeks an NIA investigation into the matter citing the involvement of PFI and ISI and other interstate and international groups.
The NGO Call for Justice was established “To promote by all appropriate means within its purview the social, economic, and cultural development and uplift the socially, economically and educationally weak, disadvantaged and marginalized sections of society.” It also works to create awareness in the areas of law, health, education and human rights among others.
OpIndia reports in fact-finding report
As many as nine reports including ground reports carried out by OpIndia in its extensive coverage were cited by the NGO. One report was cited twice. Here is a list of the reports that were cited:
1. Delhi Riots_ ‘Women’s rights group’ Pinjra Tod accused of inciting violence
2. Watch: Delhi riots pre-planned? Umar Khalid seen inciting people to take to the streets against Modi govt while Trump visits (cited twice)
3. Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA protests funded by Islamist PFI, chief Mohammad Parvez Ahmed’s links to AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Congress’ Udit Raj emerge
4. Shiv Vihar ground report: Tale of two schools, one owned by a Muslim used as a war base, the other, owned by a Hindu, gutted by Islamists
5. Barkha Dutt’s ‘shero’ Ladeeda gave call for Jihad, Aysha Renna called India fascist for executing terrorist Yakub Memon
6. AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan spotted leading the protests which turned violent in Delhi: Reports
7. Chronology of events that led to the Delhi Riots and the Khilafat 2.0: The call for a Direction Action Day next?
8. AAP leader Tahir Hussain’s goons attacked him, says family of IB officer murdered in Delhi riots
9. Nexus between Congress and Islamists in stoking anti-CAA riots? PFI spent over 120 crores, transferred huge sums to Kapil Sibal and Indira Jaising: Read details
