The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe into the death of a 23-year-old Muslim man, who was beaten up and forced to sing the national anthem by some policemen during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. The CBI move follows a directive by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday (August 6, 2024).
The incident took place on February 24, 2020. A video clip showing the victim, Faizan, and four other Muslim men being beaten up by the police with batons and forced to sing the national anthem and ‘Vande Mataram’ had gone viral then. The case was initially registered at the Bhajanpura police station on February 28, 2020, and transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch on March 4, 2020.
Hate crime: court
The High Court had questioned the Delhi Police for failing to conclusively identify the policemen who were involved in the case, even after more than four years of investigation. “It is extremely important to note that this case presents allegations of gross violation of human rights, in as much as the unlawful actions of the policemen, who are yet to be identified, were motivated and driven by religious bigotry and, therefore, would amount to a ‘hate crime’,” it had observed.
“The investigation in the present case has evidently been tardy, sketchy, and conveniently sparing of the persons who are suspected to be involved in brutally assaulting the petitioner’s son…what is worse is that the suspects were entrusted to act as custodians of the law, and were in a position of power and authority, but seemed to have been driven by bigoted mindsets,” said the High Court.
This story was originally published in thehindu.com. Read the full story here.
