Opposition leaders meet President Kovind, seek a probe into the Delhi riots investigation

The leaders handed over a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind

Opposition leaders, including Congress's Ahmed Patel, CPI's D Raja, CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury, DMK's Kanimozhi and RJD's Manoj Jha, met President Ram Nath Kovind to share their concerns over the police ongoing investigation into the Delhi riots.

The leaders handed over a memorandum to the President, requesting him to order a probe into the investigation by a panel headed by sitting or retired judge (s) as the ongoing investigation by the Delhi Police “doesn’t inspire confidence”.

The leaders said in the memorandum that they wanted to express a “deep concern” about the manner in which the Delhi Police was investigating the communal violence that took place in north-east Delhi earlier this year.

They said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Delhi Police and the Special Cell were investigating the aspect of conspiracy behind the riots.

“There are, however, serious questions about the role played by the Delhi Police itself during the violence and also the manner in which the police is harassing and attempting to falsely implicate activists and young people who took part in the anti-CAA-NCR-NPR movements as the perpetrators of violence,” the memorandum said.

Such a manufactured conspiracy theory has now begun to falsely implicate political leaders, the leaders said.

In a recent supplementary charge sheet, the Delhi Police, citing statements of those arrested, had named Sitaram Yechury along with other activists in the case.

“The name of CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, a parliamentarian of long-standing repute and also names of well-known intellectuals, academicians and activists have  now surfaced in material put out in the public domain. This is a disturbing trend that raises serious questions over the manner of such investigations,” the memorandum said, blaming the Delhi Police for turning blind eye towards the alleged role of its own personnel and BJP leaders in the violence.

“We therefore urge you to call upon the  Government of India to institute an inquiry into this investigation under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, headed by sitting/retired judge(s),” the memorandum read.