A Delhi court has convicted five men in connection with violence at the Bhajanpura petrol pump during the Delhi Riots of February 2020, delivering a significant verdict in one of the many criminal cases arising from the large-scale unrest that gripped parts of the national capital. The court held that the prosecution had established the accused’s involvement in an unlawful assembly that engaged in rioting, violence and vandalism.
Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh of the Karkardooma Courts convicted Arif, Mohd. Khalid, Abdul Sattar, Tanveer Ali and Hunain after examining witness testimonies and other evidence presented during the trial. The sentencing hearing has been scheduled for September 16, 2026.
The case relates to violence at a petrol pump in the Bhajanpura area on February 24, 2020, when several parts of northeast Delhi witnessed widespread clashes and destruction. According to the prosecution’s case, a large crowd had gathered near the petrol pump before the situation escalated into violence.
The court found that a mob comprising around 100 to 150 people had assembled with a common objective of committing offences including rioting, arson, criminal mischief and vandalism. It concluded that the five accused were members of the unlawful assembly and that their involvement had been established beyond reasonable doubt.
The Delhi Riots cases have remained under close public scrutiny for more than six years, with police investigations leading to multiple prosecutions involving allegations of murder, rioting, arson, conspiracy and attacks on public servants.
In the Bhajanpura petrol pump case, the prosecution produced 26 witnesses before the court. The judge relied on the testimonies of eight witnesses, including five police personnel who were present at the location when violence erupted.
The police witnesses identified the accused and described the events that unfolded at the petrol pump. According to their testimony, the crowd had initially gathered while raising slogans related to the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens before turning violent.
The mob allegedly pelted stones at police personnel, damaged property, vandalised vehicles and nearby establishments, and created a situation that forced officers deployed at the spot to respond to the escalating violence.
The court rejected the defence argument that the police witnesses had not been present at the scene. It observed that the defence had failed to significantly undermine their credibility during cross-examination and that their accounts broadly corroborated one another.
This finding became central to the conviction. The court noted that the testimonies were not only consistent among the police witnesses but were also supported by other witnesses. Their presence at the Bhajanpura petrol pump and their identification of the accused were therefore accepted by the court.
The Delhi Riots had placed extraordinary pressure on police personnel and emergency services as violence spread across several localities in northeast Delhi. Bhajanpura was among the areas that witnessed serious disturbances, along with places such as Maujpur and Shahdara.
According to the judgment, police officers at the petrol pump had been deployed to maintain law and order when they came under attack. The court observed that the violence and stone-pelting were severe enough to force some officers to retreat from the location.
The accused were convicted of offences related to rioting, obstructing public servants and using criminal force against public servants performing their duties. The court held that the prosecution had successfully established the charges against them through witness testimony and other material placed on record.
However, the judgment also demonstrated the importance of examining each allegation independently. The court did not accept the prosecution’s claim that the petrol pump itself had been set on fire, citing inconsistencies and gaps in the evidence relating specifically to that allegation.
That distinction is significant because the court did not simply accept every accusation placed before it. Instead, it assessed the available evidence charge by charge before reaching its conclusions. The five accused were convicted for offences that the court found had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.
The verdict adds another chapter to the continuing legal aftermath of the Delhi Riots, which left a deep impact on communities across the affected areas and triggered extensive investigations by law enforcement agencies.
For victims, witnesses and residents who experienced the violence firsthand, court proceedings have represented a lengthy effort to establish individual responsibility for incidents that occurred during those chaotic days in February 2020.
The Bhajanpura case also underlines the critical role played by witness testimony in riot-related prosecutions. In incidents involving large crowds and widespread disorder, investigators often face the difficult task of identifying specific individuals and proving their actions before a court.
The Delhi Riots remain one of the most extensively investigated episodes of urban violence in recent Indian history. Courts have been hearing cases separately, examining evidence connected with individual incidents rather than treating the entire period of violence as a single prosecution.
With the conviction now recorded, attention will shift to the sentencing hearing later this month. The punishment to be awarded will be determined by the court after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.
The verdict sends a clear message that criminal cases arising from the Delhi Riots continue to move through the judicial system, years after the violence first shook the national capital. As more cases reach crucial stages, the focus will remain on evidence, witness accounts and the courts’ responsibility to determine guilt on the basis of proof rather than public perception.
For the Bhajanpura petrol pump case, the court has now delivered its finding on guilt. The next stage will determine the consequences for the five convicted men, bringing one more major case from the Delhi Riots closer to its legal conclusion.
