Delhi riots: Faisal Farooque had links with Jamaat HQ, says chargesheet
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police in its fresh chargesheet in connection with the riots that broke out near Rajdhani school in Shiv Vihar area of North East Delhi has claimed that its owner Faisal Farooque visited "Deoband" and had links with "Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz".
"His (Faisal's) call detail analysis and links with prominent members of Popular Front of India, Pinjratod group, Jamia Coordination Committee, Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz and some other fundamental muslim clerics including Deoband also show the depth of the conspiracy," the police said in its chargesheet filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Richa Parihar.
The police in its chargesheet have categorically mentioned that Farooque visited Deoband on February 23, just one day before the riots began in the Shiv Vihar and its neighboring areas too.
The case relates with riots that broke that broke out on February 24 outside Shiv Vihar's Rajdhani School where another school named DRP Convent and an adjacent sweet shop was burnt and a man trapped inside the shop died. At least 18 people including Farooque were arrested by the police in this regard.
"The rioters had camped inside and fired bullets from the terrace of Rajdhani School. They also threw petrol bombs, acid, bricks, stones and other missiles using an improvised large iron catapult, specially installed for the purpose, from the terrace of Rajdhani School," the police said.
The chargesheet states that Farooque had hatched a conspiracy to precipitate and aggravate riots, in and around Rajdhani School. On his instructions, the adjacent and rival DRP Convent School, 2 parking lots run by the other party and the building of Anil Sweets was systematically destroyed by the mob.
"On the day of riots, i.e. 24.2.2020, many children from Muslim families left the school early, along with their parents, during the half time recess itself. Six empty cartridge shells, glass bottles that were used for making Molotov cocktails, rope and iron catapult recovered from the terrace of Rajdhani School," the police said.
It also stated that the rioters had used ropes to climb down from the terrace of Rajdhani School into the compound of DRP Convent School and then the mob had set the school on fire. "The mob had looted the computers and other expensive items from DRP Convent School," it added.
While the Special Investigation Team of the Delhi Police has claimed that Farooque is the main conspirator behind the riots in the Shiv Vihar, the SIT in a separate chargesheet has pointed its barrel towards ex AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with the riots in the Chand Bagh area and also behind the killing of young IB officer Ankit Sharma.
In a separate chargesheet, the Crime Branch SIT said, "The facts as emerged during the course of investigation points to the conspiracy of vast scale riots hatched by main accused Tahir Hussaina Releasing of pistol just before the incident and unaccounted/ used empty cartridges again points towards his role in conspiracy and active participation in these riots.a
Hussain removing his family in the night of Feb 24 due to safety reasons (as per his version) and himself staying back is also being seen a strong point to Delhi Police's claim. "This act of Tahir Hussain shows that the preparations had already been going on for these riots. All necessary logistics and manpower were arranged prior to these riots and a number of people from U.P. West had been called for this purpose to execute these riots at a large scale," the police said in its chargesheet in the Ankit Sharma case.
