Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested one of the main conspirators involved in the murder of Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal during the 2020 North East Delhi riots, said official on Wednesday.
Accused Mohd. Ayaz, who carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh, was arrested from District Chikkaballapur near Bengaluru, Karnataka.
"Accused Mohd. Ayaz s/o Haji Wasiq Ahmed r/o H. No. D-78, gali no.1, Chand Bagh, Karawal Nagar, Delhi (Age 53 Years), was apprehended from a village in District Chikkaballapur near Bengaluru, Karnataka on 17/06/2023. He was declared Proclaimed Offender in the case where a Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal was killed, while Sh. Anuj Kumar, the then ACP/Gokulpuri and Sh. Amit Sharma, the then DCP/Shahdara sustained multiple grievous injuries. A reward of Rs. 1 lakh was also declared on his arrest by Delhi Police," a statement released by Delhi Police read.
Lal was attacked by a mob on February 24
Head Constable Ratan Lal, who died on duty was among 105 casualties police suffered during the north east Delhi riots, said the charge sheet filed in a court in September 2021.
Lal was attacked by a mob on February 24, police said adding that the first set of injuries reported during the communal violence were of policemen who were on duty in the area due to the mass protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
"In total over 500 medico-legal cases (MLCs) in connection with north east Delhi riots, 105 were related to injuries to police personnel and 53 people were killed including one Delhi police Head Constable (Ratan Lal) and one Intelligence Bureau staffer (Ankit Sharma), the charge sheet filed on September 16 said.
"The magnitude of the riot was so high that the district police had to be supplemented by a force which was almost four times its own strength," it said.
During the peak of the riots, about 78,000 additional police forces were deployed to restore and maintain peace in the area, it said.
The charge sheet further stated while 100 policemen and 41 public persons were injured in the December 2019 violence with no deaths being reported, 108 policemen and 499 people were injured in the February 2020 riots, with 53 deaths reported.
In the first 24 hours of the riots, there were seven medico-legal cases related to attacks on police personnel at Maujpur Chowk by anti-CAA protestors and two public persons were injured, it said.
"On February 23, at about 5.23 pm, a PCR (Police Control Room) call was recived at the Welcome Police Station that 200/300 Muslims are pelting stones at Mauj Pur metro station. After police reached the spot, the mob started stone pelting and five policemen sustained injuries. Thus this was the first set of MLCs (medico-legal cases) in realtion to the north east Delhi riots and the injuries were suffered by policement on duty," it added.
It further said that the second set of MLCs in relation to north east Delhi riots were also of policemen on duty. "On February 23, at about 6.40 pm, Inspector Rohtash Kumar, along with staff was present at Vijay Park main road, when rioters from Shamshan Ghat Pulia side, Kabir Nagar, started heavy stone pelting at the police party.
Inspector Rohtash and Head Constable Vikrant got injured in stone pelting by the mob.
Thus the second set of MLCs in relation to north east Delhi riots were also of policemen on duty," the charge sheet said.
Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.
