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Ruckus in Delhi assembly after riots report
It was the first report on compensation being provided by the Delhi government to the victims of the riots in which 53 people were killed and more than 400 injured.
Sweta GoswamiThere was ruckus in the Delhi assembly on Thursday when Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan alleged the involvement of a political party in the February 2020 north-east Delhi riots, leading to disruption and some members rushing to the Well of the house.
After objections from the opposition benches, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel ordered Khan’s mention of the political party to be expunged from the records.
Khan was tabling a report on the compensation being provided to the victims of the communal riots in north-east Delhi. The report was put together by the Delhi assembly committee on welfare of minorities, which has recommended to the city administration to restart the compensation drive for those victims of the north-east Delhi riots who could not apply last year, and constitute a new team for assessment of their claims to avoid duplication. Khan, the AAP MLA from Okhla, is the chairman of the House panel.
After the proceedings of the House were over, Khan, while talking to reporters outside the House, alleged that the riots were “scripted” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and added that no first information reports (FIRs) were filed against the party’s members such as Kapil Mishra who allegedly “incited people to resort to violence”.
Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said, “Khan is accusing the BJP because police investigation reports showed that AAP councillor Tahir Hussain was behind the riots. Rather, the BJP worked towards saving lives and helping people during and after the riots. The AAP is only trying to gain political mileage by such false and baseless accusations.”
Mishra, for his part, said the AAP leaders were “obsessed” with his name. “They think of me day in and day out. I am proud of what I have done and will do the same if a similar situation arises again,” he said.
It was the first report on compensation being provided by the Delhi government to the victims of the riots in which 53 people were killed and more than 400 injured.
In the report, which will be adopted by the House on Friday, the committee stated that in some cases officials involved in the verification process for disbursal of compensation did not provide accurate information leading to a mismatch between the actual losses the corresponding compensation amount received. The panel has recommended that the Delhi government form a new team comprising representatives from the divisional commissioner’s office and the Delhi Waqf Board and MLAs from the affected constituencies for conducting a survey of such cases.
Khan informed the House that the Delhi government has so far disbursed ₹27.19 crore as compensation to the riot victims.
