Jahangirpuri violence: NSA slapped on five persons; BJP, AAP trade charges

The Delhi Police has slapped the stringent National Security Act on five persons arrested in connection with the April 16 Jahangirpuri violence, even as the BJP and the AAP accused each other of links with the "main conspirator".

Sources said that among those booked under the NSA are Ansar, the alleged "main conspirator" behind the violence, and Sonu, who was seen in a video opening fire during the violence.

Police on Tuesday arrested one more person for allegedly supplying a pistol to one of the accused.

So far, the Delhi Police has arrested 25 people in connection with the clashes that erupted during a procession on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

Meanwhile, police said the situation in Jahangirpuri is heading towards normalcy amid heavy deployment of security personnel in the violence-hit area.

Some of the shops, mainly of grocery, in the streets have opened and the movement of people is becoming normal, they said.

Over 500 police personnel and six companies of additional force have been deployed in the area round the clock.

Besides, a total of 80 tear gas gun parties and water cannons have been deployed and drones are also being used in sensitive areas for rooftop surveillance, police said.

When asked if any of the accused has links with PFI (Popular Front of India), a senior police officer said that the investigation is in the initial stage and all angles are being probed.

"If there is any link with PFI or if it was part of any criminal conspiracy, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police is investigating the matter from all angles. A detailed and thorough investigation is being done by the teams," the officer said.

Police on Tuesday said that a man named Gulli has been arrested for allegedly supplying weapon to an accused, identified as Dilshad (25), in the case.

Multiple purported videos of the Jahangirpuri violence has emerged which are being analysed by the Crime Branch team to identify the culprits further.

In one such purported video, several people were seen coming from behind the procession. Some of them are also raising swords in the air.

Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused each other of links with Ansar, who is alleged to be the main conspirator of the April 16 violence.

The AAP alleged that the "main accused" was an "active" BJP leader. The party shared on the social media some pictures in which Ansar is wearing a saffron cap and seems to be attending some political events with other leaders of the party.

However, the BJP denied the allegations, saying that the AAP leaders were "lying" to divert attention from the role of its worker in the Jahangirpuri violence.

"The main accused, Ansar, along with another leader had quit the BJP in January 2020 and joined the AAP before the Assembly polls. The AAP leaders are covering up this fact since Ansar's involvement in the April 16 incident has exposed their anti-Hindu face," Delhi BJP media head Navin Kumar told PTI.

Kumar claimed that Ansar had joined the AAP in presence of senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in January 2020.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a delegation of prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind visited the Jahangirpuri area and met the families of those who have been arrested by police, assuring them all legal aid.

Expressing deep concern over the communal clashes in Jahangpuri, Jamiat chief Maulana Mahmood Madani alleged that the violence was a failure of the law and order machinery and demanded a fair inquiry into the whole incident.

The investigating agencies should discharge their responsibilities honestly and fairly, and should try to get to the bottom of the matter, he was quoted as saying in a Jamiat statement.

Earlier in the day, BJP MP from northwest Delhi Hans Raj Hans, along with Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, met Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana regarding the investigation into the communal clashes.

Later, Hans, in whose constituency the violence took place, said that the clashes were an effort to "spoil the image" of the country and that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi before British premier Boris Johnson, who is scheduled to visit India this week.

Clashes broke out between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession at Jahangirpuri on Saturday, leaving eight police personnel and a local resident injured.

According to police, incidents of stone-pelting and arson were reported during the clashes and some vehicles were also torched.