‘Normalcy will return in next 24-36 hours’: Senior Delhi cop on situation in Jahangirpuri

Speaking to media, Special CP Dependra Pathak said that the police are in touch with locals and pressure groups to ensure that the peace continues to prevail in the area.

Northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, which witnessed communal clashes on April 16, will be back to normal in the next 24 to 36 hours, a senior Delhi Police official said on Friday, two days after some parts of the area were subjected to a demolition drive that came to a halt within hours due to a Supreme Court-ordered status quo.

Paramilitary personnel patrol a site after clashes broke out between two communities during the procession on Hanuman Jayanti, at Jahangirpuri. (ANI) (ANI)

“Situation is peaceful, took stock of the security situation. Our aim is that things remain normal. There’s no incitement, and we’re in continuous touch with the people of the area, various pressure groups and all those who are coming here,” news agency ANI quoted Dependra Pathak, Special CP (Law and Order), Delhi Police, as saying.

“Political leaders are not allowed near the mosque, however no restrictions for general devotees there. Normalcy will return here in the next 24-36 hours,” Pathak further said.

Last Saturday, violence erupted in Jahangirpuri when a Hanuman Jayanti procession was passing through the locality; at least nine people, including eight police personnel and a civilian, were injured. On Wednesday, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), which is run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), carried out demolitions of what it said were ‘illegal encroachments’ in the area.

However, pointing to similar exercises in several BJP-ruled states, opposition and critics accused the NDMC of ‘selectively targeting a particular community’, a charge denied by the civic body. On Thursday, the top court extended status quo for two more weeks, when it will hold its next hearing in this case.

While CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat was the only politician on the ground on the day of the drive, as she tried to stop the NDMC from continuing to raze properties despite the SC’s order, various political parties, since then, have sent their respective delegations to Jahangirpuri. However, security forces have not allowed any delegation to meet people whose properties were razed.

The Delhi Police have arrested at least two dozen accused, including minors, till now, in connection with the violence case.