Charge sheet in Jahangirpuri riots case likely this week

A total of 37 arrested persons -- 30 Muslims and seven Hindus -- have been named as accused in the draft and of them, at least three have been named as “prime conspirators”, the officers said.

The Delhi Police are in the final stages of filing the charge-sheet in the Jahangirpuri riots, which took place in April this year, and a draft has sent it to the prosecution branch for scrutiny and necessary changes, police officers privy to the matter said on Monday, adding that it could be filed this week itself.

According to the police, none of the alleged key conspirators is a Hindu. (Sanchit Khanna /HT PHOTO)

A total of 37 arrested persons -- 30 Muslims and seven Hindus -- have been named as accused in the draft and of them, at least three have been named as “prime conspirators”, the officers said.

Clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims in the north-west Delhi locality on April 16, during a procession taken out on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. As the procession wound its way through Jahangirpuri’s C-Block, a scuffle broke out and it soon escalated into stone pelting, inuring a few policemen and a resident. A case was registered by the local police and it was later transferred to the crime branch.

“Of the three alleged prime conspirators, two are Mohammad Ansar and Sheikh Salim alias Salim Chikna. The names of a few more alleged accused such as Imam Sheikh alias Sonu and Tabrez Khan may also be mentioned as the prime conspirators in the final charge-sheet,” said a senior police officer, asking not to be named.

According to the police, none of the alleged key conspirators is a Hindu.

The 37 arrested persons have been booked for 12 offences, including rioting, arson, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. Apart from the 12 sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), section 25 of the Arms Act was also mentioned in the first information report (FIR) that was registered at the Jahangirpuri police station, police said.

“We have enough technical and manual evidence against the arrested persons to prove the charges against them. The evidence include CCTV footage, call details records and witness testimonies. We can also prove the criminal conspiracy charges with evidence,” said another police officer, also asking not to be named.

The officers added that the charge-sheet may be filed this week, even though the investigating team has 90 days -- from the first arrest in the case (April 17 in this particular case) -- to submit it before the court.

Two juveniles were also apprehended for their alleged involvement in the violence and separate charge-sheet will be filed against them before the juvenile justice board (JJB), said one of the officers quoted above said, adding that at least eight more suspects, including a father-son duo, are still at large.

The eight absconding suspects have been identified as Ishrafil and his son Ashnoor, Sanwar alias Kalia, Sikandar, Saddam Khan, Hasmat alias Ashmat, Salman and Jahangir. The last location of Sanwar, Sikandar and the father-son duo was tracked to West Bengal. Police have non-bailable warrants (NBWs) out for them and are in the process of announcing cash rewards on their arrests.

Ansar, one of the alleged key conspirators, was the first to be arrested in the case on April 17, a day after the violence. He is among the five alleged accused against whom the Delhi Police slapped the stringent National Security Act (NSA) in the case.

A case under the prevention of money laundering was also registered by the enforcement directorate (ED) against Ansar to look into his finances and investigate sources of his properties. The other alleged key conspirator, Salim Chinka, has been accused by the police of being one of the most violent rioters. He has also been booked under the NSA. He was previously involved in an armed robbery case. The alleged accused Sonu is the one whose video of opening fire during the riots was widely shared on social media, police said,while alleged accused Tebrez took part in “peace committee” to deflect attention from him.