A Delhi Court on Tuesday directed that further investigation be conducted against BJP leader and Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra over his alleged involvement in the 2020 North-East Delhi riots.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order.
The judge said that FIR be lodged against Mishra, adding that further investigation against him was warranted in the case as cognizable offence was found against him regarding one of the incidents as referred in the complaint.
The Court said that the material put forth by the prosecution revealed that Mishra was present in the area in question and that “all the things were corroborating.”
Detailed order is awaited.
The Court was dealing with a complaint filed by one Mohd. Ilyas. The plea was opposed by the Delhi Police saying that there was a well planned conspiracy to frame Mishra in relation to the riots.
The Delhi Police had submitted that the BJP leader was being framed in the matter and had no role to play in the 2020 riots.
The prosecution had referred to chats of various WhatsApp groups, including Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG) and said that the alleged conspirators were trying to portray a narrative on social media against Mishra and were running a campaign using #ArrestKapilMishra.
The police also submitted that Mishra’s alleged role in the commission of the riots has been investigated and nothing incriminating has been found.
In October last year, the Delhi Police had submitted that the riots were the result of a conspiracy hatched to incite and cause violence in Muslim majority areas close to Mosques or Mazars and main roads so as to escalate “Protests” to “Chakkajaam” once critical mass is generated and at appropriate time.
It was also submitted that WhatsApp messages were being circulated to spread a rumour that the mob led by Kapil Mishra had started violence at that time.
The complainant Mohd. Ilyas has sought registration of FIR against Mishra, then SHO of Dayalpur police station and five others, including BJP MLA Mohan Singh Bisht and former BJP MLAs Jagdish Pradhan and Satpal Sansad.
Ilyas, in his complaint, alleged that on February 23, 2020, he witnessed Mishra and his associates blocking a road and destroying street vendors’ carts. He further claimed that the then deputy commissioner of police (northeast) and other cops stood next to Mishra, warning protestors to vacate the area or face consequences.
