The Delhi court has framed charges against 25 Islamists for the murder of Head Constable Ratan Lal during the 2020 Northeast Delhi Anti-Hindu riots. He was the first to be targeted by Islamist mobs during the Anti-Hindu pogrom. In the attacks, Ratan Lal was brutally lynched. The court has framed charges against the 25 accused of murder, arson, and dacoity.
Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala noted the mob’s “clear objective” to resort to violence and intimidate the government. The evidence revealed a premeditated conspiracy, including stockpiling weapons at the protest site and using women and children to shield rioters.
The Delhi court noted that a firearm wound as well as five other wounds were found, which were sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature. Thus it ruled that the death of HC Ratan Lal took place because of the assault and gunfire shot received in the incident. The protesters not only gathered to show protest against CAA/NRC, rather they came well equipped with weapons with a mindset to use the same against the police force.
The case pertains to an attack on a police team at the Chand Bagh protest site when officials tried to stop them from blocking the main Wazirabad road on February 24, 2020, during demonstrations against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The attack was pre-planned and the motive was to target the Hindu community in garb of protests.
Ratan Lal, who had joined duty despite being unwell, succumbed to 24 injuries, including a fatal firearm wound. The then DCP Shahdara, Amit Sharma, and ACP Gokalpuri, Anuj Kumar, also sustained severe injuries.
The other side argued that the accused resorted to violence as a form of protest which the court rejected by emphasizing that the right to protest does not permit the constitutional rights to violence, assault, or property damage. Charges of criminal conspiracy were framed against 11 organizers, including Mohammed Salim Khan, Saleem Malik, and Mohammed Yunus, who incited violence. Fourteen others face charges under various IPC sections, including murder, attempted murder, and rioting with deadly weapons. The court discharged two accused, Mohammad Wasim and Sahid due to lack of evidence.
The northeast Delhi anti-Hindu riots claimed over 50 lives and injured more than 200 people. The case is set for formal charge framing on December 3, 2023. The court’s order underscores the importance of accountability for orchestrating violence during the protests.
