The Ex-Congress municipal councillor and leader Ishrat Jahan has been detained for allegedly attempting to provoke people with her inflammatory remarks during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots. She has been sent to 14-day police custody.
A Delhi court on Friday dismissed the bail plea of a former municipal councillor from the Congress Ishrat Jahan, accused of attempt to murder in a case related to violence and rioting in northeast Delhi over the amended citizenship law. The court observed that she did not deserve bail at the present stage of the investigation “despite being a woman”.
Pronouncing the order, the Additional Sessions Judge Naveen Gupta said, “The nature of the case slapped against Jahan is very serious. When the law enforcement personnel are attacked in the manner as reflected in FIR and that too, in full public view, such deeds erodes the public confidence in the ability of police officers to do their duty… The accused (Jahan), despite being a woman, does not deserve bail at this stage.”
Jahan was detained on February 26 for the charges under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault on public servant), 332 (voluntarily causes hurt to public servant), 307 (attempt to murder), 109 (abetment), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Arms Act.
Besides accused of inciting people for violence, Jahan is also held responsible for blocking Khureji Khas road along with other anti-CAA protesters on February 23 (Sunday). She has been demonstrating against the Citizenship Amendment Act for the last 50 days in Khureji Khas area.
During the hearing, the additional public prosecutor, appearing for the police, told the court that Jahan was arrested from the spot of the incident.
“Jahan has been specifically named in the FIR. She has claimed herself to be an advocate, hence, she must have instigated the public against the police officials who were discharging their public duty. Moreover, she has criminal antecedent as she was previously involved in obstructing and assault on a public servant in 2014,” the counsel claimed.
He further informed the court that seven people have been arrested in the case and one countrymade pistol and one live cartridge recovered from the one of the accused.
“Three empty cartridge cases, three sticks and two iron rods, along with 10-12 pieces of bricks and stones, have also been recovered from the spot. Two empty cartridge cases, which have been shot by the police officials in the air to disperse the crowd, have also been recovered. Statements of two public witnesses have also been recorded, which have also corroborated the version of FIR on material particulars,” he alleged.
The police have named Jahan, Sabu Ansari and Khalid as accused in the FIR lodged in the case.
The FIR said that in view of protests against the CAA going on for several days at Jagat Puri, section 144 (prohibition of assembly of five or more persons) of the Code of Criminal Procedure had been imposed in the area of Khureji. On February 26, a flag march was carried out by the police, it said. When the police reached Khureji Khas, they heard a shot and found that a large crowd had gathered there, the FIR stated. It further said that the police asked the crowd, which included Jahan, to disperse and vacate the road.
The crowd was instigated to sit down there and the accused persons did not allow the crowd to remove themselves, the FIR said. According to the FIR, Jahan instigated the crowd by saying that they would not remove themselves no matter what and that they wanted freedom (azaadi). Khalid asked the crowd to pelt stones at the police and someone from the crowd fired at a police officer but he narrowly escaped, it claimed. The FIR said when the crowd did not disperse, the personnel used tear gas shells and fired in the air.
Some persons from the crowd started manhandling the police staff and due to stone pelting, constable Vinod received injuries, it said.
Last few days saw extensive violence in the National Capital, especially in Northeast Delhi where anti-CAA protesters ran riot, ravaging properties belonging to Hindus and attacking Hindu residents. A frenzied Muslim mob atop an AAP corporator Tahir Hussain’s house ferociously hurled petrol bombs and stones on the Hindu locality, desecrating a Shiv Temple.
Eyewitnesses claim that 3 people, including IB sleuth Ankit Sharma, were violently dragged inside Hussain’s house. Later, Sharma’s battered body was found abandoned in a ditch in Chand Bagh. He was reportedly stabbed more than 400 times and his intestines were torn apart.
The Delhi Police have so far made 23 arrests while hundreds have been held under preventive detention. About 148 FIRs have been filed in cases related to violence in Delhi.
