New Delhi: Criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its alleged role in the communal violence in north Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on Saturday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that the sequence of events makes it clear that the saffron party had a role to play.
In a statement released on Sunday, AAP said its leaders too had taken out a procession on Hanuman Jayanti, in Greater Kailash, which went off peacefully and without any untoward incidents. “Why is it that such violence doesn’t take place in AAP’s events and only happens when BJP organises it?” AAP’s statement asked.
“Seeing how the recent events have panned out, it is clear that the BJP itself is behind the violence,” the AAP alleged.
The party’s statement also slammed the BJP for “felicitating hooligans” who had vandalised Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house recently.
As The Wire has reported, communal violence broke out in north Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area on the evening of Saturday, April 16, after a Hindutva procession allegedly attempted to wave a saffron flag in front of a local mosque. By Sunday evening, the police had arrested 22 people for the violence – all Muslims.
The incident reportedly involved stone-pelting from both sides and even gunshots fired from a country-made pistol. Some vehicles were reportedly set ablaze during the incident.
A member of a fact-finding team consisting of members of the Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) and civil society members told The Wire Shobha Yatra procession had began early on Saturday and had remained relatively peaceful. However, in the evening, at the time of iftar, the procession had refused to move beyond the mosque and allegedly brandished saffron flags and began yelling communal slurs at those at the mosques, sparking the row.
Before the AAP blamed the BJP for the violence, Kejriwal had taken to Twitter to call for peace in the region.
दिल्ली के जहांगीर पुरी में शोभायात्रा में पथराव की घटना बेहद निंदनीय है। जो भी दोषी हों उन पर सख़्त कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए। सभी लोगों से अपील- एक दूसरे का हाथ पकड़कर शांति बनाए रखें।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 16, 2022
Kejriwal has also reportedly been in contact with Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) Anil Baijal who said that all the necessary steps were being taken and that those guilty would “not be spared”, according to Dainik Jagran.
By coming out strongly against the BJP and right-wing groups after the Jahangirpuri violence, AAP has signalled a departure from its earlier stand on such issues. In February 2020, when communal violence broke out in northeast Delhi, the party and Delhi government had been reluctant to call out individuals of the BJP, particularly Kapil Mishra, who had made clear threats of violence against anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters.
Only one AAP leader – Sanjay Singh – had openly said that the 2020 violence was orchestrated by the BJP. The AAP government otherwise mostly maintained conspicuous silence on the issue of communalisation of Delhi and has been refraining from holding any party responsible for the violence. Even as the riots unfolded in the national capital over three days, AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, had remained guarded. They only appealed for peace but did not mobilise party cadre or elected representatives to actively mediate between communities.
The riots claimed 53 lives and resulted in damage of property worth hundreds of crores. Reports in the aftermath have found that most of those who died were Muslims, and most property losses too were off the Muslim community.