NEW DELHI: The Delhi police have named CPI(M) Politburo member, Brinda Karat in their chargesheet for Delhi Violence. The police move aligns with Sangh Parivar’s perspective with the document stating that the protests against Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) were main cause to riots and violence that ensued in Delhi. Incidentally, BJP leaders who openly threatened genocide remain shielded even as protesters and social activists have been put in the dock.
Other leaders arraigned in the chargesheet also include CPI(M) national executive member Annie Raj, CPI(ML Liberation) Politburo member Kavita Krishnan, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister, Salman Khurshid, former MP Udit Raj who had quit BJP earlier, prominent advocate Prashanth Bhushan, social activist Harsh Mandan and scientist Gouhar Rasa.
The chargesheet cites witness testimonies from two accused persons - former Congress councillor Israt Jahan and one other person - as premise for leveling accusations and arraigning the leaders. According to the document, Israt testified that the leaders made speeches provoking the ruling government and also called for protests to be extended for a long time.
Leaders named in the chargesheet also includes CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Prof. Jyothi Ghosh, Prof. Apurvanand, Rahul Roy and Yogendra Yadav. Brinda Karat came to be named later in the document.
Even as Veteran leaders like Yechury have been charged solely on basis of “culprits’ testimony”, the court in its record indicates that the witnesses refused to sign several pages of the statements claimed to be coming from them. In line with the same tactic, the police had arraigned former JNU student Ummar Khalid, arrested and locked him up in jail later.
Interestingly, there is no action against BJP leaders who openly instigated attacks on protesters. Though footages of their hate-speeches have been released widely, police continue to protect them from potential legal tangles.
Cheatsheet, Not Chargesheet : Brinda
The document submitted in court by police is “cheatsheet” rather than chargesheet, said Brinda Karat. It is designed to protect the people who actually perpetrated those riots. The Delhi police that works under Union Home Ministry is betraying the masses, depriving them of their right to know the true facts behind scenes. Secularists protesting against government’s discriminative move are being portrayed as offenders. This is against democratic principles. The government seeks to suppress protests by the masses against its anti-people policies, Brinda told Deshabhimani.
Prahanth Bhusan reacted to the move saying, it cannot be helped if speeches ran against the government or even provoked them. There is no use compiling a chargesheet with enormous number of pages because allegations hold good only if substantiated by evidence, Bhushan added. Gauhar Raza responded to the highhandedness saying, ‘We stand firmly opposed to the citizenship amendment act” adding that, “we never did anything to incite attacks or violence.”
