A fact-finding report on the Jahangirpuri communal violence has called the area a ‘ticking bomb’ of illegal immigrants, radicalisation, demographic stress and illegal encroachments. The fact-finding was undertaken by the Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA). The members of the organisation visited Delhi’s Jahangirpuri a day after the incident, when Islamists had resorted to stone-pelting, arson and vandalism when a Hanuman Jayanti procession was moving through the C block of Jahangirpuri in Delhi on April 16. During the encounter, a police officer was also shot.
The objective of the members of the fact-finding committee, who stayed in the riot-hit area from April 17-19, was:
- To observe the situation on the Ground in Jahangirpur.
- To understand the causes that led to the violence in Jahangirpuri.
- To meet victims of the street rioting in Jahangirpuri.
The stone-pelting became more widespread as women and children joined in the assault
In its report, GIA chronicled details of what exactly transpired in Jahangirpuri on April 16. The report stated that the Police and local administration were informed in advance of the date, time, and route of this procession. The regular procedure with religious processions, such as Tazia processions, is that the Delhi police never sought permission. The police are just notified and security is thereby arranged. In this case, too, the organisers had intimated the police about the scheduled Shobha Yatra and accordingly, police were stationed throughout the procession route.
The procession was accompanied by tableaux and religious songs were played.
The layout of the region is such that there is a Masjid (Jama Masjid) and a few houses of the local Muslim population, which are connected by a bylane. As the procession approached the Masjid at C Block, Kushal Chowk stones were hurled at the Hanuman Jayanti Tabeleux from the Masjid’s surrounding and other houses. The stone-pelting became more widespread as women, children, and men from nearby residences near the Masjid premises joined in the assault.
Within minutes, a mob of local Muslim residents with swords, lathis, iron rods, and some carrying pistols emerged from the Kushal cinema bylane (including purportedly Bangladeshi immigrants and Rohingyas). They were also chanting “Allah hu Akbar.”
The Hanuman Jayanti procession was attacked, resulting in a dangerous street riot.
Police officers who attempted to maintain order were viciously attacked with stones and swords and were also shot at by rioters. Sub Inspector Rajeev Ranjan filed the complaint, which resulted in the filing of FIR no. 440 of 2020, Police Station Jahangirpuri, on April 16, 2022. According to the FIR, SI Meda Lal was shot in the right arm, while 6-7 other officers suffered serious injuries, read the report.
It added that the residents in the area have reported fleeing the violence by running and hiding. Several residents’ automobiles were damaged or stolen as a result of the scuffle.
The fact-finding team wrote that the attack on the Hanuman Yatra was pre-planned. Men, women, and children gathered on the rooftops shortly after the stones and bottles were arranged. There was a large throng assembled, armed with stones, petrol bombs, and swords, ready to attack the procession.
Jahangirpuri- a ticking time bomb of criminal activities, demographic upheaval, and radicalization
According to the report, the first observation made by GIA members was the presence of encroachments and unlawful activity in the area.
In this location, the GIA members observed that there is a well-established economy based on illegal buildings, unlawful occupation of public land, and illicit trading. Illegal encroachments on green land for residential reasons, illegal Kabad (scrap) sites, illegal parking, illegal slaughter-houses and Satta (gambling) are examples of illegal encroachments and the resulting economy.
Illegal parking in Jahangirpuri: The fact-finding team shared pictures of how specific areas in the DC Block road of Jahangirpuri, some near government schools, have been illegally converted into parking areas. These parking lots demand an outrageous amount of money for vehicle parking, and the resulting economy is built on extortion and unlawful possession of government land. These regions are particularly dangerous for ordinary citizens.
Illegal encroachment on public land: The park beside DDA flat and Prayas Road in Block F in Jahangirpuri has been illegally converted into a junkyard. This is just another instance of illegal encroachment on public property. The kabad (junk) economy is operated from these unlawful areas, which are also hotspots for crime and risk to ordinary inhabitants. These are also sites where you can see juvenile drug addicts. They are connected to the kabad (junk) commerce network.
Illegal construction of houses in Jahangirpuri: At C Block, there is a row of houses that adjoins the Masjid. It is from these houses that the stone-pelting on the Hanuman Jayanti procession began on April 16, 2022. These are illegal structures built on green land.
Illegal slaughterhouse: The GIA report also read that some residents have claimed that illicit slaughterhouses operate behind Jahangirpuri’s Jama Masjid.
Increase in the number of Madrassas over the years: According to reports, the number of madarsas in this area has surged in recent years. According to the article, it should be investigated whether these madarsas are responsible for radicalising women and children in this area. Pertinently, a significant number of children were seen pelting stones at the police and the Shobha Yatra in footage from April 16, 2022, the Jahangirpuri riots.
Important observations made by the fact-finding team
The members of the Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA), who stayed and spoke to many victim families in the riot-hit area concluded that the Jahangirpuri riot was a pre-planned street rioting by Muslim residents of the neighbourhood, together with Bangladeshis and Rohingyas (as stated by local neighbours), against the Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra on April 16, 2022.
The rioters planned long in advance and stocked the houses with stones, swords, bottles, and firearms. The attacking crowd of Muslims included both residents of the local community and outsiders. A huge number of children were also visible in this crowd. This points to a growing radicalism in the area.
The team further said that the residential houses have been constructed on unauthorised land around the Masjid, which is where the attacks on the Hanuman Jayanti procession began. This is Greenland, which has been encroached upon for the construction of these dwellings.
Furthermore, there is a booming illegal trade in the neighbourhood. There are innumerable illegal kabad (junk) shops and illegal slaughterhouses. Illegal parking is being audaciously operated from unoccupied government property in the vicinity.
The report further warned that the area in Jahangirpuri is a crime-prone area due to thriving encroachment and illegal trade. Despite repeated complaints from local people, the local police (in the area) have turned a blind eye to such acts. This is a no-go zone for women. Crimes such as chain and handbag snatching are fairly widespread. People are hesitant to go out after dark.
It read that the local residents reported a major surge of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the area, who have illegally settled here over the course of several years.
Another intriguing finding made by the team was that stone-pelting on local law enforcement is a common occurrence and a component of the area’s lawlessness. It stated that on April 18, 2022, Crime Branch employees who went to conduct an investigation in the area were stoned by women and children. According to the GIA team, this proves that the Hanuman Jayanti procession was not instigated and that there is ongoing anti-law activities in the area.
Based on its findings, the GIA made some critical recommendations that could help alleviate the deteriorating situation in Jahangirpuri.
- The team suggested that illegal Bangladeshi/Rohingya immigrants if any, in the area be identified and deported with immediate effect.
- Unlawful activities, illegal encroachments on vacant areas where locals/outsiders have kept kabad, illegal parking, illegal slaughterhouses, and places where satta (gambling) operates must be stopped immediately.
- As previously stated, women and children were involved in stone-pelting on both the Hanuman Jayanti procession and the police, therefore the team strongly recommended de-radicalization programmes in this area.
- The role of local Muslims in organising these pre-planned attacks, as well as the presence of groups such as Jamat-i-Islami in this area, must be investigated.
- It should also be explored whether any Bangladeshi/Rohingya immigrants have obtained legitimate citizenship papers/Aadhaar cards/passports, etc. Such individuals must be discovered and deported.
- All of these unlawful operations, bastis(slums) of Bangladeshis/Rohingyas, encroachments on roadways, vacant properties, and so on, have gone unnoticed by the local police. Law enforcement officers must respond immediately.
- The police must investigate and determine how such a significant number of stones and bottles were kept on the rooftops of private houses in this region.
- Any development in the region on Government land, whether religious or residential, must be demolished immediately.
- Since the riot model of pre-planned attacks on Hindu processions has been seen across states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh), and particularly in Delhi, which saw a large-scale riot in February 2020, a white paper to that effect should be shared with residents and society at large. The agencies involved must maintain complete transparency in their investigation and public communication.
- All illegal shops and trade in this region must be shut down.
- Victims of violence must be duly compensated.
- Hindu victims are afraid, and they are not coming out to file complaints. They are terrified of the local mafia/Muslims in the area, which they refer to as ‘dabangs'(rowdies) in the area, as well as the local police, who they believe conspire with the local mafia.
The attack on Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra in Jahangirpuri
On Saturday (April 16), Islamists attacked a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Delhi’s Jahangarapuri locality. The procession was proceeding quietly, according to the FIR. When the procession arrived at the Jama Masjid in C Block at 6 p.m., a man named Anshar approached the procession with several of his friends and began an altercation.
The argument immediately turned into stone-pelting, culminating in a panic in the procession. According to the FIR, police sought to take control of the situation, but a select portion of the crowd ignored the commands and increased the sloganeering while burning down several vehicles. The mob continued to bombard the procession with stones and glass bottles. During the encounter, a police officer was also shot.
