Did Delhi police ignore alert by home ministry?

As communal violence gripped parts of east and north Delhi on Diwali, the Delhi Police are under scanner for allegedly ignoring an alert issued by the Ministry for Home Affairs a few days ago.

As communal violence gripped parts of east and north Delhi on Diwali, the Delhi Police are under scanner for allegedly ignoring an alert issued by the Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA) a few days ago.

According to sources, a letter was sent to Delhi Police Commissioner on October 20, in which the ministry had warned the force of communal tension erupting the ongoing festival season. A copy of the letter is with the Hindustan Times.

“As huge crowds gather during festive season, issues such as bursting crackers and playing loudspeakers can lead to tensions. Sometimes members of one community shout provocative slogans and police were asked to remain on alert to prevent such incidents,” said a senior Delhi Police officer, requesting anonymity.

In the letter, the ministry had referred to the recent Saharanpur riots and communal tensions in some other areas on the occasion of Id-ul-Zuha.

“Police was asked to identify communally sensitive areas and keep a special vigil in there. We have even suggested the police to keep a watch on social media since it has been seen that on many occasions rumours are spread through social networking sites,” the official said.

On the occasion of Id-ul-Zuha, a few parts of Delhi had witnessed tension over the issue of alleged cow slaughtering.