2020 Delhi riots: Court acquits 12 men accused of murdering Muslim man
A Delhi court on Wednesday acquitted 12 men who were allegedly involved in the killing of a man named Hashim Ali during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
The Special Public Prosecutor in this case had relied on WhatsApp chats from a group in which the accused persons had made 'extra-judicial confessions', stating that 'your brother has killed two Muslim men'.
Referring to these chats, Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of Karkardooma Court, in his order dated April 30, noted: 'Such posts/messages may be put in the group solely with intention of becoming hero in the estimation of other members of the group and it could be a boast also, without truth.'
'The argument of Ld. Prosecutor [is] that the chats show [the accused] Lokesh and others…, who were members of that group, were involved in the riots. However, I find that this plea is just a general presumption without support of substantive evidence,' the Court said.
It acquitted the 12 — Lokesh Kumar Solanki; Pankaj Sharma; Ankit Chaudhary; Prince; Jatin Sharma; Himanshu Thakur; Vivek Panchal; Rishabh Chaudhary; Sumit Chaudhary; Tinku Arora; Sandeep; and Sahil.
The FIR lodged in this case had alleged that the accused persons were involved in the killing of nine Muslim persons. Of these nine, two were Hashim Ali and his brother Aamir Khan. The prosecution had alleged that the accused had conspired to teach Muslims a lesson for attacking the Hindus during the 2020 riots.
Witnesses examined by the prosecution had alleged that the accused persons were carrying stones, sticks, swords and iron rods and were shouting slogans like 'Jai Sri Ram' and 'Har Har Mahadev'.
The Delhi Police had filed multiple chargesheets naming a WhatsApp group, named 'Kattar Hindu Ekta', in connection with the nine murders. Lokesh was the first person arrested in the case, and during his questioning, he named the other accused persons who were a part of the group.
Between February 24 and 26 in 2020, the riots engulfed the Capital, leaving 53 dead, over 500 injured, and damaging property worth crores.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Suhas Shetty murder: Dakshina Kannada MP and VHP welcome NIA probe
Welcoming Union Home Ministry's decision to hand over investigation of the murder of Hindutva activist and murder accused Suhas Shetty to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta on Sunday, June 8, said Dakshina Kannada district wants freedom from anti-national elements that are active in the district and become an active part of Prime Minister's vision of Viksit Bharat. In a statement here, Capt. Chowta said he wrote a detailed letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on May 2 expressing the need for an NIA probe following Shetty's murder in full public view in Bajpe on May 1. He had expressed the need of a comprehensive and impartial investigation as there was suspicion of involvement of members of banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in the murder. The nation cannot afford to allow radical, anti-national, and jihadi forces to fester in any part of the country. One month into the letter, the Union Home Ministry decided to hand over probe of Shetty's murder to NIA. Shetty's murder was a larger pattern of growing lawlessness, emboldened Islamic radicalism, and anti-national elements that continue to operate in coastal Karnataka. Following targeted killing of BJP cadre Praveen Nettaru in July 2022 by members of banned PFI organisation, life of Suhas Shetty, another young Hindu, was extinguished in a similar manner. The NIA probe will bring to light how radical, anti-national, and jihadi forces were silently operating in Dakshina Kannada and other parts of the country. This was the first step by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to root out anti-national forces from Dakshina Kannada, he said. A delegation led by State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra had met the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and placed the request to the State government to hand over investigation of Suhas Shetty murder to NIA. The BJP has no confidence in Siddaramaiah-led Congress government rendering justice to murder victim's family as the State government has continued with its appeasement politics. The government has political understanding with Social Democratic Party of India, which is extended form of banned PFI, the MP alleged. VHP reacts Vishwa Hindu Parishad Dakshina Karnataka joint secretary Sharan Pumpwell, in a statement, said with NIA investigation the VHP has all confidence that all those who were involved in Suhas Shetty's murder, those who conspired and financed the act, will be booked and justice will be delivered to victim's family members. By handing over to NIA, the Union Home Ministry has rightly answered demand of lakhs of Hindus and it was a moral victory to the fight of Hindus. In response to the murder, the VHP had given a bandh call on May 2 across Dakshina Kannada. A massive protest meet was held on May 25 in Bajpe demanding NIA investigation into the murder. Mr. Pumpwell was arrested on May 27 for allegedly giving inciting statements on the night of May 1, which led to damage of public property, communal tension and public peace on May 2 and subsequent days.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Maharashtra news: Bank official steals gold worth ₹27 lakh in Thane, arrested by police
A bank official was arrested in Thane district of Maharashtra for allegedly stealing gold worth ₹ 27 lakh that was pledged by customers. The accussed has been identified as 29-year-old Sachin Arun Kalan. According to police, Sachin Arun Kalan, who works at a private bank in Ambernath East in the Thane district, was arrested on June 6 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal breach of trust and other offences. 'Between May and May 26, Kalan, as the bank's relationship executive, was handling gold loan cases. During this period, he took away gold ornaments worth ₹ 26.90 lakh that had been mortgaged by customers who had availed loans. A detailed probe is underway to cover all aspects of the crime,' a Shivaji Nagar police station official said, according to news agency PTI. Further investigarion is underway into the matter. A 29-year-old fisherman from Kerala has been arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly duping a retired army colonel of over ₹ 18.8 lakh after promising high returns from foreign exchange (forex) investments, an official said on Saturday. The accused, identified as Sreejith Rajendran, a resident of Azheekal in Kollam district of Kerala, was apprehended from his hometown, he said. The police said Sreejith, who studied till Class 10 and is a fisherman by profession, was enticed into the racket by a friend who flaunted a lavish lifestyle funded through fraudulent means. Driven by greed and a desire for easy money, he became part of the syndicate. Earlier this year, another accused, Sunil, from Jodhpur was arrested in connection with the same gang. The mastermind of the operation, Anandhu Lal from Kollam, is still at large, according to the police. "The victim, a retired Colonel, was lured into the scam in December 2023 after receiving unsolicited messages and calls from a woman who identified herself as 'Cute Arvin Anghita'. She convinced him of potential profits in the forex market and encouraged repeated investments," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said. Under the guise of high returns, the complainant was coaxed into transferring money in several instalments. When he sought to withdraw funds, he was told to make additional payments to process the withdrawal, he said, adding that eventually, a total of ₹ 18,80,818 was taken from him. A case was registered on August 31, 2024, under the relevant sections of the IPC and an investigation was launched.
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
NIA to Probe Murder of Hindu Leader Suhas Shetty in Dakshina Kannada
Mangaluru: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has handed over the investigation into the recent murder of Hindu leader Suhas Shetty in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in what is being seen as a significant move to address growing concerns over religiously motivated violence in the coastal region. Suhas Shetty was brutally attacked and killed on May 1in Mangaluru taluk near Kinnigoli, allegedly by a group of six men belonging to the Muslim community. The incident, which sent shockwaves across the communally sensitive coastal belt of Karnataka, had sparked calls for a deeper, more thorough investigation, with several leaders expressing fears of an organised conspiracy. Taking early initiative, Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta was the first to urge Union Home Minister Amit Shah to transfer the case to the NIA, citing the possibility of radical networks operating behind the scenes. The BJP leader welcomed the Centre's decision and thanked the Home Minister for acting swiftly. 'This is not merely a local law and order issue. There could be a broader agenda at play, and only a central agency like the NIA has the resources and reach to investigate such matters thoroughly,' Capt. Chowta said in a statement. The murder of Suhas Shetty is the latest in a series of violent incidents in the region, which has witnessed periodic outbreaks of communal tension over the past decade. The involvement of a central agency is expected to bring national attention to the pattern of targeted killings and help unearth deeper motives if any. While local police had made multiple arrests in connection with the case, questions remained about the broader planning and possible ideological motivations. With the NIA stepping in, investigators will now examine whether there were any links to extremist groups or cross-border influences. The agency is expected to officially take over the case in the coming days. It could be recalled here that the NIA had also taken up the murder of Praveen Nettaru a top functionery of Youth wing of the BJP following which the case has reached a significant stage. Even in the case of Shetty murder, the BJP and the Hindu groups had accused that a certain mole in the Police department had allegedly checked the car of Suhas Shetty just minutes before the attack and made sure that his car was not carrying any weapons. Minutes after this check the attack was made and he was brutally killed. The BJP and Hindu activists told Hans India that all these will now come into light and there will be justice to the slain leader
