Delhi’s Jahangirpuri is on its way to become another Mewat

Jahangirpuri witnessed a “minor” incident on Monday when the family members of one of the accused persons hurled stones at the police during an investigation.

“One-off” incident

As per the Delhi Police, the incident was minor and it was a “one-off” incident. So, there hasn’t been any fresh, major breach of peace in Jahangirpuri. However, the incident does reflect how criminal activity may be getting emboldened in the area.

What happened?

The incident took place when a team of policemen went to the house of accused Sonu Chikna for investigation. Sonu’s family reportedly resorted to stone-pelting when policemen reached their house for investigation. Earlier, a video had surfaced on social media that showed Sonu firing during the riots.

A police officer said, “To investigate the matter, a police team of northwest district had gone to the alleged shooter’s house on CD Park Road. They were looking for him and wanted to question his family members. However, when police reached there, the family members of Sonu pelted two stones on them, following which police detained one person from the spot.”

Usha Rangnani, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Northwest, clarified, “Media reports about fresh stone-pelting on Monday are an exaggeration. It was a minor, one-off incident. Legal action is being taken.”

Comparison to Mewat gangs

What ought to surprise is the sense of nonchalance here. This was an apparent attempt to shield a prime accused here. And this is why a comparison between Mewat and Jahangirpuri is warranted.

Mewat is located at a fair distance from Jahangirpuri, around 60 km South-west of Gurugram in the Aravalli foothills. One of the most backward areas in the region in terms of development, Mewat often hogs the limelight and makes it to the headlines but not for very good reasons.

It is known for the criminal gangs based out of the region, colloquially referred to as Mewati gangs. As per an HT report published in 2016, nearly 100 such gangs were active in the border areas of the district. There was a time when these gangs used to indulge in petty crimes. However, over the recent past, they have also been found to be involved in serious crimes like murder, robbery, dacoity, carjacking, burglary and rape.

The report quoted Rajinder Singh, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), operations, (South District), who dealt with Mewati gangs for years, as saying, “Earlier they used to be simple cattle catchers or bike thieves. Now, they have become more organised and indulge not only in robbing trucks on the highways, but also demand ransom from the families after kidnapping the drivers.”

The ACP explained, “They become very violent if a police party intercepts them. At times, cops in some remote areas had to seek cover for safe passage. ”HT also quoted Virender Jain, station house officer, Vasant Kunj (South) as saying, “If some police party stops them, they would attack it with stones and firearms.”

There is an entire history of several incidents of police being attacked by Mewati gangs. And some of those incidents did turn out to be quite disturbing. In May 2012, a Delhi Police constable, Naresh Kumar Verma, was brutally killed while chasing a gang in a mini-truck in North-west Delhi’s Bharat Nagar.

Verma had chased the mini-truck on a motorcycle and had managed to overtake it. However, the criminals rammed into the motorcycle causing fatal head injuries to the policeman.

What needs to be noticed here is the level of impunity and lack of fear in the minds of the gang members. And similar impunity can be seen with those who indulged in violence in Jahangirpuri. So, Jahangirpuri may well become the next Mewat.