Why old horses are wrong about unfair probe in Delhi riots case
The Delhi Police personnel deserve our compliments for unearthing the conspiracy behind the riots and bringing the guilty to book.
“Apre moi, le deluge [After me, the flood],” said King Louis XV of France after losing the Battle of Rossbach in 1757 to Fredrick the Great, the Prussian King. There are two possible interpretations of what he said: “After my reign, the nation will be plunged into chaos and destruction”; or, that he did not care what happened after his death.
It is a common human failing to believe in the first interpretation. Every generation feels that all was hunky-dory when it was at the helm of affairs, and soon after it walked into the sunset, the state of affairs began to go south. Often, the implication is that the members of that generation were the last of the Mohicans who stood up to evil forces and always did the right thing, while their successors are lesser human beings, who are up to no good.
Little do they realise that the old order not only changeth yielding place to the new, but also to the better. Had it not been so, we would not have seen the phenomenal progress in every field of human endeavour with the bar being raised constantly. No wonder, Olympic records are meant to be broken every four years and new frontiers crossed in science, medicine and technology ever so often.
Lately, “After me, the deluge” syndrome has driven a group of retired police officers - some with glorious careers making them living legends - to pass judgments over the investigation done by the Delhi Police in the February riots of 2020 in which 53 people, including 2 policemen, died, and 581, including 108 policemen, were injured. In all, 754 cases were registered - leaving aside the omnibus conspiracy case - out of which 412 were on the complaints of members of the minority community. As many as 1,575 people were arrested, out of which 799 were from the minority community, and 776 from the majority community. A dispassionate analysis of this data would show that the common perception of the police being partisan is fallacious.
It is the overarching conspiracy case investigated by the Special Cell and charge-sheeted on September that has evoked the maximum attention and comment in the media and elsewhere. It is worth pointing out that rarely have communal riots been probed to ascertain if there was a conspiracy behind them. And, equally, it is a rarity that a conspiracy has indeed been unravelled with technical evidence to support it. My sense is that when the contours of the conspiracy finally reach the public domain, they would not only be eye-opening, but also frightening. The Delhi Police deserve our compliments for unearthing this diabolical plan and bringing the guilty to book.
Another cause for general consternation has been the mention of several big names from the civil society in the charge sheet. What seems to have put the cat amongst the pigeons in this section of people is the apprehension that contrary to their expectations, the courts, including the Delhi High Court, has accepted the police theory that a case of conspiracy is indeed made out. That bail has been denied to all arraigned as accused in this case, is another cause of concern among the activists. They feel that the sword of Damocles hangs over their heads too - long, sharp and shining.
Another common criticism of the police is that no action was taken against three BJP leaders who allegedly made provocative speeches. It is not commonly known that the matter has been raised in courts as well.
A petition was filed by CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha member Brinda Karat in court seeking action in this regard under Section 153(A) of the Indian Penal Code (Promoting enmity between religious groups, etc) against the BJP leaders but cognisance was not taken in the absence of the mandatory sanction for prosecution under Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. She had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court as well that she subsequently withdrew.
Equally unknown is the fact that several such petitions are pending before the Delhi High Court against senior Congress leaders for making similar inflammatory speeches during Bharat Bachao Rally at Ramlila Ground on December 14, 2019. These matters are being heard on a day-to-day basis and a final order is awaited. Therefore, the police cannot be faulted for not taking action in a matter that is sub judice.
Under these circumstances, when charge sheets have been filed in majority of the cases, it would be unfair to pass premature judgments on the investigations done. Those who have played their innings and are long retired, should rest assured that barring a few aberrations here and there, the succeeding generations of police officers will not let them down. Despite increasing politicisation and extraneous pressures, the newbies will uphold the values and ideals held of their esteemed seniors to the best of their capabilities.