BJP leader Kapil Mishra gave a speech widely regarded as incendiary in the presence of a police officer hours before communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi on 23 February 2020. The Delhi police never registered an FIR. Five years later, Mishra is the law and justice minister in the new BJP government for the national capital region./ Screenshot of the speech he made at the Jafrabad metro station

By Betwa Sharma

Delhi: In a Delhi riots case that became famous as the “Jafrabad roadblock case”, the prosecution told the court they would rely on 34 of the 100 videos the police submitted of the events in and around the Jafrabad metro station where many Muslim women protested against a controversial citizenship law and blocked the road starting on the night of 22 February 2020. 

The videos the prosecution chose not to rely on included the one where a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made remarks that were widely regarded as incendiary a kilometre away at the Maujpur metro station, hours before communal riots broke out in northeast Delhi on 23 February 2020.  

Earlier that day, Mishra tweeted asking people to gather at Maujpur “to answer Jaffrabad” and “hit the streets” to support the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019. 

While addressing a gathering at the Maujpur metro station, Mishra gave the police an ultimatum: If the roads are not cleared until US President Donald Trump leaves (he was visiting India on 24-25 February), he and his supporters will not listen to the police and will hit the roads. 

In a tweet and video of him speaking, Mishra said, “Three days ultimatum for Delhi Police—clear the roads in Jaffrabad and Chand Bagh. After this, don’t make us understand. We won’t listen to you. Three days.”

Last month, five years after the riots, the BJP won the Delhi assembly election, defeating the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). 

This story was originally published in article-14.com. Read the full story here.