Five years since the Northeast Delhi riots, verdicts have been pronounced in 109 of the 695 cases of rioting, arson, and unlawful assembly filed by the district police.
In 2020, communal violence singed the district between February 24 and 26, leaving 53 dead, over 500 injured, and property worth crores damaged.
The Indian Express looked at the detailed orders of all 109 judgments and found that 90 resulted in acquittals (82%) and 19 in convictions (18%). The acquittals, records show, are split evenly between the two communities.
In 51 acquittals out of 90 (57%), witnesses (either some or all) turned hostile. Further, in the vast majority of acquittals, while a case of rioting or unlawful assembly was made out, the witnesses were unable to identify the accused.
Of these 695 cases, 16 have led to discharge (no prima facie evidence found during the stage of charge); four have been quashed (cancellation of FIRs); and five were cancelled (closure reports were filed).
When contacted, the Delhi Police were not available for comment.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
