1,829 arrested, 755 FIRs lodged: Govt on northeast Delhi riots

As many as 755 FIRs have been registered and 1,829 people were arrested in connection with the northeast Delhi riots last year, the Centre informed Parliament on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy told the Rajya Sabha the investigation was carried out in all the cases based on facts and evidence, using the latest scientific techniques, and without any regard to the affiliation or identity of the accused.

Reddy said the Delhi Police conveyed that 755 FIRs had been registered in connection with the riots, out of which 62 heinous cases were investigated by the special investigation teams in the crime branch.

One case is investigated by the special cell to unearth the criminal conspiracy behind the violence and the remaining 692 cases are investigated by the North East district police, the minister said in a written reply to a question.

A total of 1,829 people have been arrested and charge sheets in 353 cases have been submitted in the court for trial, he added.

The riots had erupted in northeast Delhi on February 24 last year after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled, leaving at least 53 people dead and also led to extensive destruction of property, including schools as well as religious places.

(Cover: People stand outside shops damaged in a fire after a mob set it on fire in a riot hit Mustafabad area of New Delhi, India on 29 February 2020 /Credit: Getty Images)