'...When reporters asked him about the incendiary slogan – “desh ke gaddaron ko...” he raised at a rally in Delhi, the Minister of State for Finance said, “You are lying. You people should first enhance your knowledge. Half-knowledge is dangerous. The matter is sub judice, so I am not commenting further.” At an election rally in Rithala, Thakur was caught on camera saying "desh ke gaddaron ko (the nation's traitors)", to which the crowd responded by chanting: "...goli maaro s****n ko (shoot them)"...'
'I have been a journalist for just over a year, but few things will ever surpass the spectacle of bigotry I witnessed in Delhi this week as I hit the ground to cover the communal riots. Over the past four days, hate has stared me in the face, followed me in the form of a mob, and threatened to reveal my “real identity”. On 24 February, my colleague Urjita Bhardwaj and I arrived at Jaffrabad-Maujpur in Northeast Delhi to cover what, until then, appeared to be nothing worse than an intensified scuffle between pro- and anti-CAA protesters. We first went to the pro-CAA side.
'As rioters set their two-storey house ablaze on Tuesday evening, Mohammad Idris Saifi and 10 family members ran up the steps to huddle on the roof, which slowly turned searing hot and got enveloped in smoke. “Prepare to die,” the attackers had shouted from below. But fortunately for the family, the roof did not collapse and the fire subsided on its own. For nearly 14 hours, Idris, 71, wife Jameela, 68, their two sons and their wives, and their five grandchildren — Musqan, 15, Nargis 13, Belal, 12, Abdal, 12, and Abbas, 8 — remained on the roof, muttering prayers.
'After a video of six boys sloganeering at Rajiv Chowk metro station in New Delhi went viral on social media Saturday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) confirmed that the incident took place at 10:50 am and those involved in the act were handed over to the police. In the short video clip circulated across social media platforms, the boys are heard chanting: “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko (shoot the traitors of the nation)”. This slogan was earlier raised by BJP leaders, including Kapil Mishra and Anurag Thakur, against anti-CAA protesters...'
'Despite Narendra Modi’s reminder to his Twitter followers that “peace and harmony is central to our ethos”, the international press put the blame for the Delhi violence on the Prime Minister’s hardline policies, especially the rollout of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Most publications also noted the culpability of BJP leader Kapil Mishra, whose inflammatory remarks are said to have majorly contributed to the violence that has led to over 40 deaths.
'The death toll in Delhi rose to 42 Friday in the communal violence that has ripped through the city’s Northeast district. Violence broke out Sunday evening after pro- and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests clashed, resulting in mobs armed with stones, sticks and rods running amok. More than 200 people have been injured so far. Below is the list of 39 deceased released by Delhi Police. It will be updated when more information is available...'
'A saffron flag inscribed with “Jai Shri Ram” now flies atop one of the minarets of a mosque in northeast Delhi’s Gokalpuri neighbourhood. The mosque was gutted from inside, its walls sooty but still standing.
'A municipal corporator has become the face of the Delhi riots. More than 36 hours have passed since the name of the Aam Aadmi Party’s Nehru Vihar councillor, Tahir Hussain, surfaced in news headlines for allegedly orchestrating the violence in the Khajuri Khas-Chand Bagh area. The communal violence in Delhi has left at least 42 people dead and over 200 injured. The dead include Ankit Sharma, a resident of Khajuri Khas who worked for the Intelligence Bureau. Ankit went missing on February 24. His body was retrieved the next day from a drain not far from Tahir’s house.
'“Our children’s admit cards had not even been sent,” said a tearful Neetu Chaudhary, as she surveyed the charred remains of Arun Modern Public Senior Secondary School. “They have destroyed all records from 1986.” The school was established in 1986. It is located in Brijpuri, at the entrance to Mustafabad, a locality in North East Delhi which saw widespread violence and arson on February 25. According to Kasim Zaid, the school’s physical education teacher, it was set alight around 4-5 pm in the evening of February 25...'
'The proceedings in the riots case in Delhi High Court offer a rich study on how the composition of bench can influence the result of a case, and can even produce diametrically different approaches. The petition filed by activist Harsh Mander seeking independent probe into Delhi riots and also registration of FIR on allegations of hate speeches by politicians was heard by a bench comprising Justices Dr S Muralidhar and Talwant Singh yesterday. Today, the case was considered by another bench comprising Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar.
