“A half-truth is even more dangerous than a lie. A lie, you can detect at some stage, but half a truth is sure to mislead you for long,” the quote by writer Anurag Shourie holds significant relevance in our modern society, particularly regarding the construction of narratives by the media. The Indian media is not immune to such practices either, specifically, Islamo-Leftist propaganda portals which actively participate in promoting a specific narrative of victimhood and oppression, catering to the interests of its target audience.
Unfortunately, the most significant casualty in this situation is the truth, which is compromised and corrupted in the pursuit of selfish agendas. Notably, “The Wire” is a quintessential example of deeply ingrained biases and pervasive bigotry that regularly demonstrates its extraordinary propensity to manipulate the truth to serve its objectives. Notorious for disseminating anti-India and anti-Hindu propaganda masquerading as news, the platform has once more illustrated why it has earned such a reputation.
On 19th December, a video entitled “Waiting For Gul: The Story of Gulfisha Fatima” was published on its official YouTube channel. The video aimed to present Gulfisha, an accused in the 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots as a victim of Hindu majoritarianism and an unfair judicial system. The video features conversations with her family members who audaciously defend her as the purpose is to construct an emotional argument in her favour and manipulate the unsuspecting audiences.
What’s in the video
Opening to dramatic scenes in a humble neighborhood, Gulfisha’s father Syed Tasneef Husain who runs a grocery store is introduced. He says, “She is my eldest daughter. If justice would have been prevailed then why would she be in prison? She is in jail because of injustice.” It also featured her photographs and snippets of her videos from the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protests in a desperate attempt to make a case for her innocence. The video simultaneously slammed the government for arresting her while ironically referring to the riots as “anti-Muslim.”
Shakra Begum, her mother is brought in the video next. “I am Gulfisha’s mother. She had just one dream to pursue her education. She had no other interests except her education. Our dream was to get her a suitable match after her education.” Interestingly, the video is showcased from two distinct perspectives to enhance its dramatic effect.
The camera afterwards pans to Tasneef who adds, “She had no interest in fancy food or clothes. She would wear anything she could find. She didn’t care if the clothes were ironed or not. She would eat anything and go to the university. We are from Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor. We got to know from outside that Gulfisha had been arrested. Then we asked our son. He confirmed it. I asked him, ‘Why did you not inform me earlier?’
Shakra cried, “He didn’t tell us because of my husband’s health. This is why they told us everything in bits and pieces. They kept telling us that she’d have to go to the police station. But Gulfisha would tell us not to worry. When we first heard about it they said it’s a different Gulfisha. It must be some other Gul. We also thought that maybe she was a different Gulfisha. But she used to call us regularly. When she stopped calling, I asked my son about her. He said that he was in touch with her. He thought that she would be released soon. He didn’t want to trouble us. This was too big to be not troubled about.”
The video also includes Union Home Minister Amit Shah declaring in parliament that non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan would be awarded citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) along with Asaduddin Owaisi’s opposition to the bill as well as biased coverage of the demonstrations by Left-Liberal media houses.
Tasneef further says, “There were innumerable people in the protests. I used to think where are so many people coming from? I would briefly go and come back. I did not sit because of my work. I used to just check up on her and then come back to my shop. Except this, we never talked about the protests.” Shakra alleged that everyone “stood together” at the time. “Now, it’s Gulfisha and a few others. Now everyone is sitting in their homes. Nobody is speaking up for justice. If you are gone then you are gone. I mean those who were with us then, should have stood with us now.”
“But by going quiet, they’ll face the consequences too,” she threatened. “Just like a tree sheds leaves and the tree becomes naked. It is like that, Tasneef conveyed.
The video reported that 53 individuals lost their lives, accompanied by images of the unrest, and claimed that the majority of the victims were Muslims. TheWire cleverly displayed pictures and clips of Hindus while conveniently ignoring the inflammatory speeches delivered by Muslims and Leftists. It even cast aspersions on the police investigation and claimed that they failed to prove the involvement of Umar Khalid, Safoora Zargar, Sharjeel Imam, Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, Meeran Haider and others in “any actual act of violence.”
The video carries comments of Shahrukh Alam who is an advocate in the Supreme Court over the FIRs (First Information Reports) from an event in September of this year where she alleged that the poor and working-class Muslim men who were booked for perpetrating the violence have been acquitted one after another after almost 5 years.
Tasneef mentioned, “And this is what the protest was about. They were protesting within their rights.” Meanwhile, Shakra claimed, “We did not know that they would be charged under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act). This is the first time that the law has been invoked against protestors. Everyone is saying that it was never invoked against protestors. These people have invoked UAPA. How does this amount to UAPA? Do we not have a right to protest? Then?”
She then took a jab at the centre and stated, “It’s this government’s kindness, they can do whatever they want. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s will. If we had known that educating our children would lead to this, we would have kept them illiterate and safe.” Her husband then voiced, “She had completed her MBA. She wanted to do a PhD. She missed it by 2 marks. Meanwhile, this torm came up. First, her friends got accused and after them, it was her turn.”
“Only after education, you can differentiate between right and wrong. If she had stayed at home and been illiterate, she would be safe. When she asked for her rights, then this happened. Five years is a long time for parents to be separated from their child,” Shakra alleged.
The video highlights that Gulfisha writes to her parents every month from jail and also displays them on camera along with a few lines that read, “I am still alive in this world, in Delhi, a little far from you. Do not lose hope. I cannot sleep when you are upset. The day you fell ill, I could not sleep the whole night. Take care of abbu (father). Talk nice things to him. Do not talk about me too much in front of him otherwise, he will miss me even more.”
Shakra is then asked, “If you could go back in time five years ago and you get a chance to stop your daughter from going to the protest,” to which she instantly replied, “She would go. There’s nothing to be anxious about. Courage grows with time as one person sees everything.” She further asserted, “What could we do? She was not doing anything wrong. She was fighting for her rights. She did alright. Allah is the master. She will be there till she has to. But when Allah orders her release then they would not be able to stop it,” in response to, “In hindsight, do you think you could have done something different?”
“Lights and lamps are for the others, our fate is filled with darkness,” Tasneef declared with poetic flair while she concluded, “May Allah grant happiness to everyone.”
The assertions made by the parents regarding their daughter’s involvement in the incident cannot overshadow the undeniable reality that stands in stark contrast. They celebrate her actions while simultaneously seeking to shield her from the repercussions. She might be modest, ambitious, or hardworking, but these do not provide sufficient justification to disregard her participation in the unrest that resulted in the loss of numerous lives. Emotional appeals designed to influence public sentiment can not obstruct the judicial process.
Shakra Begum rightly emphasized the anguish of being separated from a child for a long period, but what about the suffering endured by the parents and families who must now live with the grief of losing their children to anti-Hindu violence? What would she say to the family of Ankit Sharma and others like him? Furthermore, why did Gulfisha’s parents not address the rationale behind organizing the protests, given that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) had no bearing on Indian Muslims and was unrelated to the National Register of Citizens (NRC)?
It raises questions as to why she and her associates fiercely opposed granting citizenship to persecuted minorities from the three neighbouring Islamic nations. The interview seems to be a deliberate strategy of emotional manipulation designed to elicit sympathy for the individuals accused of anti-Hindi Delhi riots, while completely disregarding the merits of the case and the true intentions behind the unrest. While these tactics could resonate with the intended audience or potentially evoke sympathy, they cannot conceal the grim truth of the violence.
It is important to note here that TheWire report while painting the anti-Hindu Delhi Riots as anti-Muslim violence missed several crucial points. First and foremost, the report made no mention of Hindu victims. It failed to mention that Ratan Lal was the first casualty – he was lynched in a planned manner by a large mob of Muslims. The Muslim mob had mobilised from lanes of Mustafabad and Chand Bagh converging in Wazirabad road to lynch Ratan Lal. By the movement of the mob itself, it is evident that the lynching was a planned conspiracy and not spontaneous.
For the global media, the Delhi anti-Hindu riot of 2020 was an anti-Muslim pogrom. However, the truth is far from it. Sub-inspector Ratan Lal was the first casualty in the violence. A Muslim mob lynched him to death in the middle of the street. This video has been created based… pic.twitter.com/hwtxtzOJoZ
— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) May 1, 2024
Secondly, TheWire fails to answer a basic question – what exactly were Muslims protesting against since CAA had nothing to do with Indian Muslims to begin with?
Most importantly, while claiming that Gulfisha and others have been incarcerated unfairly, TheWire gives its readers no context about the accusations against her, her involvement in the conspiracy to create violence and the basis on which the court refused to grant her bail, finding the charges against her prima facie true.
Large-scale violence is characterised not by casualties alone, but also by a dispassionate analysis of who started the violence and the root cause of the conspiracy. In this case, it is an established fact that the conspiracy to create violence targeted against Hindus was afoot ever since the 5th of December 2019, which culminated in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots of February 2020. Gulfisha, an accused TheWire tries to exonerate, was an inextricable part of the conspiracy to target Hindus. It is the same riot in which Tahir Hussain had, in his disclosure statement, admitted to specifically conspiring to create violence to “teach Kafirs a lesson”. It is the same riot where Tahir Hussain along with his band of radicals murdered Ankit Sharma – stabbing him so many times that his intestines lay out of his body. It is the same riot where a Hindu boy, Dilbar Negi, was first attacked, his hands and legs chopped off, then burnt alive. And it is the same riot that Gulfisha helped plan.
If they are genuinely uninformed about the facts, they could have simply reviewed the judgment order to understand that Gulfisha’s incarceration is not an act of injustice, but rather a necessary measure to uphold justice for the victims of her conspiracy. However, in reality, they are aware yet remain indifferent, preferring to play the victim card, which seems to have an indefinite validity.
The Wire’s relentless efforts to whitewash anti-Hindu Delhi riots
TheWire’s recent video is part of a persistent series of similar initiatives that seek to portray a sanitized version of the violence in Delhi, categorizing the perpetrators as Hindus and the victims as Muslims, even though the truth is quite the opposite. Unsurprisingly, it adheres to a consistent narrative, wherein Muslims are invariably depicted as the oppressed while Hindus as the aggressors, regardless of the specific circumstances to promote the notion of perpetual victimhood.
During anti-Hindu riots in Delhi, the DRP Public School, owned by a Hindu, was set ablaze while the Rajdhani Public School, which belonged to a Muslim, was utilized as a base for attacks. Both institutions are located in Shiv Vihar. However, in March 2020, a “ground report” by The Wire stated that both schools were under Muslim ownership to dismiss the arson perpetrated by the members of the Muslim community and undermine the communal nature of the incident.
The Delhi Police had taken issue with a piece published by The Wire in which it alleged bias against the Muslim community by both the police and the Judiciary, in May of the same year. According to the former’s response, the reporter had confused two entirely distinct cases in order to assert that a Muslim and a Hindu individual had been booked in the same case but had received different treatment. The platform sought to highlight the supposed discrimination against Delhi-riots accused Safoora Zargar, but it mixed two cases, which had FIRs registered on different dates, thereby drawing far-fetched and misleading conclusions in its article.
The Wire in June 2020 criticized the Indian courts and political establishment for the continued imprisonment of Safoora Zargar, who was 21 weeks pregnant at the time. It claimed that her imprisonment served as a harsh truth of the nation’s selective veneration of motherhood. However, it is noteworthy that the defence of her case was predominantly based on her status as an expecting mother rather than her innocence.
The media outlet further rubbed salt into the wounds of the Hindu community by glorifying Aam Aadmi Party’s councillor, Tahir Hussain, who is the primary suspect in the riots, during the Diwali season in 2020 and celebrated him as a hero. The Wire’s persistent effort to project those involved in the riots as heroic figures and assert their innocence has continued unabated. The media outlet went a step ahead in 2024 as Arfa Khanum Sherwani interviewed Umar Khalid’s father Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas with the intention to sway the judicial proceedings.
How ‘innocent’ is Gulfisha: Her involvement in the Delhi Riots 2020 conspiracy and what the court said while denying her bail
The Karkardooma Court’s ruling from 16th March 2022, threw light on Gulfisha’s ‘innocence’ and the reasons behind her bail denial. Notably, she was represented by ISIS poster boy Mehmood Pracha during the hearing after which the judge “disposed of the bail application of applicant/accused Gulfisha filed under Section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C) on 18.06.2021.”
The court order highlighted that the prosecution asserted, “Delhi Riots 2020 was a large-scale and deep-rooted conspiracy hatched after the passing of the resolution by Cabinet Committee to present CAB in both Houses of Parliament on 04.12.2019.” It mentioned how Umar Khalid, Gulfisha, Tahir Hussain, Sharjeel Imam and others plotted the conspiracy to create unrest in the national capital in the name of CAA protests.
It pointed out, “He then referred to the contents of the chargesheet to allege that prima facie allegations were correct. It was further contended that in this entire conspiracy, there were various organizations like Pinjra Tod, AAZMI, SIO, SFI, etc., through individuals who participated. There was a centrality of JCC in the ecosystem. As part of the conspiracy, 23 (24×7) protest sites (against CAB) were created in Muslim-majority areas close to mosques/mazar (mausoleum) and close to main roads. Before the major riots of February 2020, a replica of the riots took place in December 2019 on a lower scale but with similar characters and modus Operandi.
The prosecution further said, “With the lessons learned, February riots were planned and executed. The idea was to escalate the protest to chakka-jam, once critical mass is generated and at an appropriate time to eventually lead to violence against police and then others. In order to give a secular look, secular names/Hindu names were given to protest sites to give secular colour. The conspiracy involved moving from the protest sites to designated locations on main roads/highways and blockade causing disruptive chakka-jam, creating confrontational situations, attacking police and paramilitary, spreading communal violence/attacking non-Muslims and damaging public and private property by use of petrol bombs, firearms, deadly weapon, acid bombs, stones, lathi and chilly powder. Finances were also arranged and diverted to protest sites and were utilized in organizing violence.”
According to the argument, the accused individuals Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, and Gulfisha were among the many individuals who formed Pinja Tod. It further stated that the date of the Delhi anti-Hindu violence was specifically selected to coincide with the visit of US President Donald Trump to Delhi. “The video showing how the CCTV cameras installed at Chand Bagh area were systematically dislocated so that the footage of riots could not be found,” the prosecution stated.
It was underlined that “On 17.12.2019, the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) was constituted. Gate No.7 of Jamia Milia was declared a protest site. Safoora Zargar created a Whatsapp group JMI Coordination Committee for communication with JCC members which included Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha, ShifaurRehman, Saiful Islam, Meeran Haider, Amanullah among others. A mobile card no. 9205448022 was activated on forged and fabricated documents for the ulterior purpose. The media team with Safoora Zargar as head and the Facebook page for JCC was created on 18.12.2019. JCC, as per its own official release as a Facebook post, showed AAJMI, AISA, CFI, MSF, Pinjra Tod, SIO, Khudai Khidmatgar, etc. as part of it.”
The prosecution stated that various groups, including DPSG, JCC, MSJ, and Pinjra Tod, collaborated effectively. Members from one group were also involved in others, fostering a shared understanding and coherence in their strategic approach. “Overtime, different protest sites totalling to 23 were developed in different parts of Delhi. In January, Sharjeel continued to give seditious speeches and spreading his idea of disruptive chakka-jam.”
He contended, “A conspiratorial meeting took place on the intervening night of 23/24.01.2020 at Seelampur, Jafrabad Protest site between Umar Khalid with Pinjra Tod members and others. It was decided to induce local women of Seelampur to start stockpiling knives, bottles, acids, stones, chilly powder and other dangerous articles to be used in rioting as part of a conspiracy. The plan was to escalate the protest to the next level of chakka-jam and then riots.”
The prosecution elaborated on the execution of the plot and pointed out, “On 16/17.02.2020, a midnight secret meeting takes place at Chand Bagh for chakkajam. Athar, Suleman Siddiqui, Natasha, Devangana, Gulfisha, Shadab, Salim Malik, Saleem Khan, Tasleem, Ayyaz and others attend the meeting. Planning for chakkajam during the visit of President of USA and adoption of violent measures to escalate the protest was taken in this meeting. DPSG chat revealed that the meeting failed as a result of uninviting and disturbing elements which became aware of time and venue of the said meeting. There was a clear message on DPSG Whatsapp chat where one member clearly said that ‘danga nahin karne denge tumhe aur tumhare doston ko’ (If we won’t riot then our friends will be).”
He stated that Owais Sultan Khan, a member of DPSG “cites what the Pinjra Tod is saying that ‘Kafan Baandh ke aaye hain, aur joh humare saath nahin, who desh ka gaddar hai’ (be ready to die and those who are not with us are traitors of the country) in response to the local women protesters requesting them not to block the road.”
“On 23.02.2020, Janhavi, Rahul Roy and Tabrej are involved in clandestine transportation of large number of people, mainly women and children from Jahangir Puri to Jafrabad via Shaheen Bagh. These women are received by Natasha, Devangana and Gulfisha at Jafrabad and they are the ones who initially do the stone pelting at police and others,” the prosecution informed. According to him, “Owais Sultan Khan asked why the packets of red mirchi powder have been distributed to women for attacking the police and paramilitary. Their families are protesting and their lives are now being put in danger. On 23.02.2020, the conspirators from various protest sites completely blocked the traffic at predesignated spots on the main roads.”
He revealed further shocking details about the nefarious plan and stated, “In the supplementary chargesheet, the analysis of CCTV cameras in the streets on 25 Foota Road, Chand Bagh and Mustafabad area based upon the footage was filed and it showed mobilization of rioters prior to dislocation and disconnection of all the 26 functional (out of 33) CCTV cameras on 24.02.2020. The said large-scale mobilization of rioters was purposely done and it was to carry out the riots in the Chand Bagh area and which actually happened. Within 10 minutes of the final camera being dislocated/disconnected, one of the major casualties of the riots i.e. death of Ratan Lal and injuries to various police personnel including DCP (Shahdara) took place on the road on which the rioters had descended. This was also captured in a video footage.
“As per the chargesheet, the analysis of 33 CCTV cameras of Chand Bagh and Mustafabad and 43 CCTV cameras of predominantly non-Muslims areas of Khajuri Khas, Karawal Nagar, Sonia Vihar and Jyoti Nagar, shows that not only the riots were pre-meditated and pre-planned but also began when the Muslims living in Chand Bagh, Mustafabad area mobilized and came out of lanes and bye-lanes passing through Chand Bagh and descended on Main Wazirabad road having Yamuna Vihar and Bhajanpura localities having the mixed population to put in to effect a violent chakka-jam and brutalized attack on police personnel and nonMuslims community while at the same time, the footages from the PWDs cameras at the places inhibited by non-Muslims communities showed the life to be tranquil,” he unveiled.
The accused and the groups they organized to implement their violent plan were then named in the court. “Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG) Whatsapp Group comprised of many persons including accused persons namely Khalid Saifi (UAH), Shadab Ahmed, Natasha (Pinjra Tod), Devangana Kalita (Pinjra Tod), Athar Khan and Umar Khalid (UAH). Muslims Students of JNU (MSJ) comprised many persons including accused persons namely Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, Safoora, Shafa Ur Rehman and Asif Iqbal Tanha. Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) comprised many persons including accused persons namely Safoora, Shifaur Rehman, Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid. Pinja Tod comprised many persons including accused persons namely Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Gulfisha.”
“Thus, it was argued that there is sufficient material on record to establish that the accusation against the accused Gulfisha is prima facie true and hence the bail application of the accused may be dismissed,” the prosecution appealed.
The role played by Gulfisha in the riots
The video by The Wire and Gulfisha’s parents tried hard to claim otherwise, but she was instrumental in instigating the violence. “She was not only involved in the entire protest before the period of riots at Seelampur and Jafrabad in North East Delhi but also actively guiding it. “She was engaged in mass mobilization at a local level and had created two Whatsapp groups called Warrior and Aurton Ka Inquilab. At the time of the riots, she was present in NorthEast Delhi and in fact, as per the witnesses, she was the one who started the blockade and prompted the attack on police personnel and others with weapons like dande, lal-mirchi powder and others in Jafrabad area which had a cascading effect leading to riots.”
The prosecution informed, “She was also part of and representing Pinjra Tod, which was again involved in different groups and individuals. Pinjra Tod was represented in DPSG as well. She was in touch with other accused persons like Devangana, Natasha, Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Meeran and others. She was involved in the conspiratorial meeting on 23/24.01.2020 at the Seelampur and Jafrabad protest site among others like Umar Khalid and Pinjra Tod members. She was also present at a midnight secret meeting on 16/17.02.2020 at Chand Bagh for chakka-jam. She is also involved in the incident of 22.02.2020 at Jafrabad Metro Station. There are also messages in the DPSG group revealing the stockpiling and distribution of mirchi powder and other weapons and about what the Pinjra Tod was saying.”
It was stated that Gulfisha played a pivotal role in the conspiracy by welcoming women protesters at Seelampur and Jafrabad, who were arriving from Jahangir Puri to instigate the violence. The cops were unable to recover the mobile device she was utilizing. The order noted, “It was argued that CAA/NRC protests were held across India but the case is in Delhi. Firstly, the riots of this horrendous scale happened in Delhi. Regarding the relevance of Delhi, accused Sharjeel Imam in his speech of 13.12.2019 makes a mention about Delhi being the capital of India and gives an illustration that if even a flyover collapses, the whole world will know of it. Also, Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America was to visit Delhi on 24th of February 2020. The happening of riots on the same day when the President of the USA was in Delhi and the whole world media was there to cover it, does not appear from the chargesheet to be mere coincidence.”
It further added, “In fact, there is a mention of the visit of the President before the riots began. Accused Umar Khalid in his Amrawati speech specifically made a mention of the said visit by the President of the USA on 24th of February 2020 in Delhi and the need to show to the world with media all around. Various witnesses also referred to enhanced activity after the visit of the President of the United States of America was announced (discussed in subsequent paragraphs). Sharjeel Imam in his Gaya speech of 23.01.2020 while again referring to the blockage of highways in Delhi, says that they will paralyze the government. He makes an interesting reference while referring to the protest across India. He says that Delhi is special because anything that happens here will get international media in five minutes, firing will be covered in media and thus, if the army is to be deployed then it will be a humiliation for the government and not for Muslims.”
The appeals of the defence were dismissed and highlighted, “Ld. Counsel for the accused had made submissions regarding general denial of any conspiracy and harping on the investigating aspects. It is a case of UAPA and like any criminal case requires submissions and analysis based upon the contents of the chargesheet and the accompanying documents. Most of the arguments are not relevant for the bail application where the embargo of Section 437 Cr.P.C and Section 43D UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) have to be met. In fact, even the judgments filed are not applicable. Moreover, a look at the statement of protected witnesses under Section 164 Cr.P.C, shows sufficient incriminating material against the present accused.”
The defence’s statements were further countered as it was mentioned, “Ld. Counsel for the accused had submitted that the statements of witnesses were either false or contradictory and should not be relied upon. However, at this stage of bail, the statements of witnesses have to be taken at face value and their veracity will tested at the time of cross-examination. Protected witness ‘BEETA’ had stated that he saw the news on television on 16.12.2019 where students, in protest against CAA/NRC, had burnt buses. He watched the incident at Jamia Library and decided to join the protest. He noticed that various persons attended the said protests. He then details the events around 28.12.2019 about protest sites. Amanullah said that they would soon start the Jamia Awareness Campaign Team and would campaign against CAA/NRC in Muslim prominent areas.”
The order carried a significant amount of work that went into the planning. “On 10.01.2020, they again went to the protest site and it was decided that a 24×7 local sitting would be done. There used to be one or two students from Jamia at every protest site. At the Seelampur Protest sites, there were members of Pinjra Tod like Devangana, Gul and other students and they were doing local sitting at the said site. He then one day saw a video wherein Umar Khalid gave a speech in Amravati, Maharashtra stating that Trump is coming to India and they have to show their power by coming on to the roads. Thereafter, meetings started happening continuously in the Jamia Coordination Committee room. Amanullah told that it was decided to do chakka-jam by the JCC in coordination with Pinjra Tod.”
It also narrated the part played by Mehmood Pracha. “On 22.02.2020, he came to know that girls from Pinjra Tod had done chakka-jam at Jafrabad. On 23.02.2020, chakka-jam happens on all the protest sites. Stone pelting took place. He realized that the entire protest had been done in a planned manner. Pinjra Tod along with others had done it in a planned manner due to which people have died, property burnt and damaged. They used to give provocative speeches. Mehmood Pracha used to come to protest site and said that he would provide legal support. Protected witness ‘GAMA’ stated that he went to meet one of his friends at Seelampur. He introduced him to his friends including Natasha, Devengana, Gul and Tasleem.”
It further added, “He started visiting the protest sites to meet them. Later when he went there, Umar Khalid had come and was giving provocative speeches. After some days in February, the roadblock was planned by Sohail and others along with Gul. It was also decided to assemble ladies and children and they were asked to get red chilly, dande (sticks), pathar (stones), lathi (sticks) to be used when required. On 22.02.2020, Gul along with her team started a protest below Jafrabad Metro Station. Devangana said to women that they would not move till their death and gave provocative speeches. He was present there.”
The prosecution emphasized the enormous and significant role that Gulfisha played in the riots. “She also said that they would show their power to the police and gave provocative statements. He, thereafter, stopped going there. The next day, he came to know that the fight/violence had begun. Later, when they thought about how far can they run, Sohail talked to Devangana and the next day, they went to a house near Delhi University and one aunty took Gul and Sohail inside. There one uncle, one aunty, Natasha, Devengana, Sohail and Gul were present and they were calling the said uncle a professor, and it was said that they were to bring the government to its knees. Uncle stated that nobody’s name has to be taken and that the government has to be brought down and make it a Hindu-Muslim issue. He asked Gul who that uncle was and she told that he was Apoorvanand. Protected witness ‘ECHO’ had stated that Gul and her friends Devangana and Proma Roy were doing a protest near Central Bank, Seelampur.”
The order mentioned, “Natasha was also present. Gul told the women to bring their children along so that police would not be able to take any action and if police were to take action, then because of the children, they would get sympathy. After some days, a candle march was carried out in gullies. On 15.01.2020, Gul along with other women sat on a Dharna near Nadima Masjid near Metro Pillar No. 164, Seelampur. Gul and others refused to leave despite being asked by the police. After some time, Mehmood Pracha came and provoked people to protest which is their right. Various leaders started coming there. Gul used to decide who would coordinate and who would speak. In January last, Khalid of JNU also came and provoked people by referring to CAA, Article 370 & Ram Mandir. Gul name is Gulfisha. Gul, Devangana, Natasha and others had established their office at E1/ 13, Seelampur.”
The prosecution underscored how Gulfisha and other accused were committed to engage in violence with the intent of incapacitating the government. “Umar stated to Gul that the speech would not work, they all have to understand that the government is against Muslims and they will have to spill blood. Chakka-jam is the last resort and they will have to bring the government to its knees. Photograph was also taken. After some days, Gul started asking women to bring Lal Mirch powder, dande and acid bottles. She also stated code words like ‘kal eid hai’, ‘kal Nainital jana hai’ which means that roadblock karne chalna hai (we have to block roads) and ‘aaj chand raat hai’ which means today is road block’s night. These code words were known to the women and girls there only. Gul along with Pinjra Tod girls, Shadab, Tasleem and others decided to do a roadblock. He opposed the move and tried to reason out Gul and her team but they did not agree. He did not find their intentions to be correct.”
The order then read, “On 22.02.2020 at the Seelampur protest site, they assembled the people and provoked them saying that they would be put in detention center and blocked the road at Jafrabad Metro Station. Realizing that it would not be a peaceful protest but a chakka-jam, he decided not to go there. Pinjra Tod girls and Gul used to give provocative speeches. The motive of JCC and these people was to cause riots in Delhi. Protected witness ‘JUPITER’ had stated that he was a member of the WhatsApp group DSPG (Delhi Solidarity Protest Group). Rahul Roy had added him to the group. It was created for discussion of the protest carried out from December to February in Delhi regarding CAA/NRC. Natasha and Athar were also members of the group. Athar was related to the Chand Bagh protest. Gul was not a member, she was member of the ‘Pinjra Tod Group’. Natasha was also in that group. On 20.02.2020, he received a call that there was a meeting held in Chand Bagh attended by Gul, Natasha and Athar along with others and he came to know that these three were planning ‘chakka-jam’ and violence and for this purpose, they had also distributed chilly powder to protesters. Some people have decided to stop and oppose them as it will cost the lives of people.”
The prosecution laid out Gulfishan’s intricate role and stated, “His motive was to stop chakka-jam and violence. The question was also put in the DPSG Whatsapp group. He called Rahul Roy who said that when chakka-jam happens, violence also happens. They requested to have a talk with Pinjra Tod members but it was ignored. Another protected witness ‘DELTA’ in his statement under Section 164 Cr.P.C mentioned about the protest at Old Seelampur Central area on 05.01.2020, which was led by Gul @ Gulfisha, which was removed. He identified Gulfisha as residing near his house. He stated that Gul continued to do her activities in the guise of candle march. Along with Gul were other ladies like Devangana, Natasha and men like Sohail and Tasleem. One day on 15.01.2020, at Seelampur Bus Stop, 66 Foota Road, these people sat on a dharna. Police tried to remove them when Mehmood Pracha their lawyer came. They again sat there and police could not remove them.
He further conveyed, “Thereafter, some political personalities came. He also said that later on, he came to know that Gul was a member of Pinjra Tod and so were her associates. Slowly, Gul’s team came to control the stage. Later on, he came to know that Gul was talking about road block plan to the ladies. Gul was talking of mirchi powder, dande and bottles for facing the police. Umar Khalid also came to the protest site and gave speeches against the government. After 12.02.2020, when he again came to the protest site, it came to his knowledge that they were again trying to block the road but they could not block it at the protest site. There were some code words like ‘ Eid per Nainital jana hai’ which means ‘road block karna hai’; ‘aaj chand raat hai’ and also gave provocative speeches like ‘aandolan khoon maangta hai’ (revolution demands blood). On the pretext of a candle march, on 22.02.2020, they blocked the road beneath Jafrabad Metro Station.”
Police also arrived at the scene, according to the order, but the demonstrators refused to move and left for their homes. Afterward, there were riots between Muslims and Hindus. “Protected witness ‘JOHNEY’ stated that on 15.01.2020, there was a protest against CAA/NRC at Seelampur, Old Bus Stand. He also reached there and met with Gulfisha who introduced her to Devangana, Natasha, Proma, Subhashini, Tasleem, Sohail and Adnan as member of Pinjra Tod who are running this protest. In the last week of January, he came to know that these people had started to collect dande, pathar and Lal Mirch and also asked the people to collect these things. On 15.02.2020, he came to know that a meeting was likely to be scheduled at Chand Bagh at night at 23 am (on 16/17 February) regarding the blocking of road,” per the order.
It stated, “He also joined the meeting and around 50100 persons were there in the meeting besides Gulfisha, Devangana, Natasha, Shivangi, Shadab, Athar, Rashid, etc. Athar Khan told in the meeting that they will do chakka-jam in the protest site of North-East Delhi and nothing would happen by sitting silently. In the meeting, people were asked to collect acid beside pathar. Protected witness ‘SMITH’ stated that last year, the CAA/NRC Act was passed by the government and thereafter, dharna pradarshan started. Dharna also started near his house (66 Foota Road). He used to remain there from 9.00 pm to 12.00 am. In his presence, Umar Khalid and Mehmood Pracha gave speeches. Gulfisha, who was living in Jafrabad, was organizing the protest. She met with her during the protest. Devangana, Natasha, Gulfisha, Tasleem and other girls used to instigate local women of Seelampur Jafrabad to come outside. They used to tell people if they did not have documents with them then they along with their families would be sent to detention centers.” This is how people were manipulated by this group under the pretext of demonstrations.
The prosecution mentioned, “On the night of 15.01.2020, Devangana, Natasha, Sohail and Shadab along with other girls and 100150 women carried out Dharna at Old Bus Stand, Madina Masjid. Yameen’s house at E1/ 13 was their office where their meeting used to happen. On 23.01.2020, Umar Khalid gave a speech. Thereafter, Gulfisha, Devengana and Natasha brought Umar Khalid to their office. He also followed them and saw that Gulfisha, Natasha, Devengana, Sohail and Shadab along with other girls were also sitting there. Umar Khalid was saying that in the protest against CAA/NRC and to bring the Indian government down, they are ready even if riots occurred in Delhi; we have collected arms upon which all the persons stated that they are ready. Their motive was quite dangerous and he got scared after hearing this and came out from there. After two-three days, Gulfisha, Devangana and Natasha were asking ladies to collect empty glass bottles, acid, pathar, chhuri (knife), etc.”
He added, “On 23.02.2020, he saw that Gulfisha, Devengana and Natasha along with many other women had blocked the road at Jafrabad Metro Station and were asking to attack the police officials. After some time, Wazirabad, Ghaziabad and Seelampur Road, were all jammed and movement stopped. Local ladies pelted stones on people who were struck there due to which Hindu-Muslim riots started. Riots also started across Yamuna between Hindu-Muslims resulted in the killing of innocent people. They are very dangerous people and his name may be kept secret. Protected witness ‘SATURN’ stated that before the riots, he used to go with Tahir Hussain on his instructions. Tahir Hussain used to call Suleman Siddiqui at the Chand Bagh protest site and used to give him money and tell him that this money would be used for riots. Thereafter, he used to go to the Seelampur protest site where he used to give money to a lady called Gul and he again used to say that this would be used for riots. Tahir Hussain also went to Shaheen Bagh on 08.01.2020 where Umar Khalid and Kahid Saifi were also present.”
The prosecution pointed out, “He then narrated financial transactions pertaining to money obtained by Tahir Hussain. Protected witness ‘HELIUM’ stated that on 10.02.2020, he reached Jantar Mantar in a protest and met Umar Khalid and his father SQ Ilyas who said that he comes from Jahangir Puri where there are a lot of Bangladeshis and asked them to educate them and fight against CAA/NRC. On 22.02.2020, he received a call from Janhavi madam. He was asked if he was coming and on 23.02.2020 around 11.30 to 12.00 pm he started with around 300 people mostly comprising women and children. On his way, he received a call from Janhavi madam that instead of going to Shaheen Bagh, he should go to Jafrabad.”
The order further mentioned, “He said that the buses are not sequentially running to which madam said that you may come to Jafrabad via Shaheen Bagh. He was told that in Jafrabad, he would meet Natasha, Gul and Devangana who would pay the expenses. When they reached Seelampur Pulia, they met the said ladies who took the burqua-clad women to the Jafarabad Site and thereafter, to Maujpur Metro Station. Natasha, Devangana and Gul were distributing stones, broken glasses and mirchi powder to these burqua-clad women and asking them to throw at those protesting in favor of CAA/NRC. He got angry and told them that he was called by deceit and the riots caused by them were wrong. They had told us for our participation and peaceful protest but they had indulged in riots.”
Afterwards, the court pronounced, “Ld. Counsel for the accused had vehemently argued that the Division Bench of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi vide its order dated 15.06.2021 had granted bail to accused Devengana, Natasha and Asif Iqbal Tanha and filed the said judgment of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi with the bail application. It was argued that the accused Gulfisha is similarly placed as Devengana and Natasha and thus, bail must be granted on the ground of parity. It was contended on being asked, that the order dated 18.06.2021 of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India granting a stay of the effect of the order of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi and directing the High Court judgment not to be treated as a precedent, will have not any effect as it is not speaking order and bail can still be granted on parity in view of the Hon’ble High Court judgment.”
Moreover, it observed, “In the opinion of this Court, by making such a submission in the bail application, by filing the bail order dated 15.06.2020 of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi and during arguments, and that too so vehemently, not only is the counsel negating the order of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India granting a stay of the order of bail dated 15.06.2021 of the Division Bench of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi, but also asking this Court to essentially follow the High Court order, the effect of which has been stayed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and thus, to disregard the order of the Hon’ble Apex Court.”
It also quoted the Supreme Court and declared, “In the meantime, the impugned judgment shall not be treated as a precedent and may not be relied upon by any of the parties in any of the proceedings.” The court then delivered its verdict, “Hence, in view of the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, it is clear that the impugned judgment dated 15.06.2020 was neither to be treated as a precedent nor to be relied upon by any of the parties in any of the proceedings. The court is bound by the law of the land and the judicial discipline. This argument is strongly rejected.”
It added, “Thus, on the perusal of the chargesheet and accompanying documents, for the limited purpose of the bail, I am of the opinion that the allegations against the accused Gul @ Gulfisha are prima facie true. In view of the above discussion, since there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against the accused Gulfisha is prima facie true, hence, embargo created by Section 43D of UAPA applies to grant bail to the accused and also, the embargo contained in Section 437 Cr.P.C. Hence, the present application for bail of accused Gulfisha stands dismissed. Application is disposed off accordingly.”
Delhi Riots: A Conspiracy Against Hindus
The aforementioned judgment is quite telling of how the riots served solely as a means to damage India’s global standing and target Hindus while also tarnishing their image. A Delhi Police Head Constable and an Intelligence Bureau Constable were killed in the riots. The latter went to prevent the violence but was claimed by it as Hindus listened to him but the Muslims saw him as a vulnerable target and brutally ended his life. One individual later identified as Shahrukh was seen firing bullets and flashing his gun at the police. Islamists hacked off the hands and legs of a Hindu man named Dilbar Negi, who was then burned to death. Communal violence had plagued Delhi since the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed and the riots were merely the culmination of a fire that radicals had started months earlier.
The sequence of events, ranging from the initial calls to separate the chicken neck and the meticulous orchestration of the conspiracy involving the display of the national flag to give the protests a secular clour and the deliberate sabotage of CCTV cameras, all coinciding with Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to India reveal the underlying motives of the violence, which was superficially presented as a protest against the CAA. The protests were, in fact, anti-Hindu and anti-India in nature, with aspirations for the balkanization of the country and no degree of emotional manipulation or claims of victimhood can obscure this dark reality.