The destruction and carnage unleashed during the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots 2020 left the nation in shock. On the 24th and 25th of February, Delhi was gripped with unbridled violence and riots that were unleashed after an elaborate conspiracy was hatched by certain Muslim groups and Left groups. Several conspirators have been charged and are lodged in jail, standing trial for their role in instigating and planning the violence. However, several individuals were either directly or tangentially involved in the conspiracy, who have not been named as accused in the investigation that followed the violence.
The conspiracy chargesheet (59/2020) details how the conspiracy for the Delhi anti-Hindu riots took seed on the 5th of December. In the 2700-page chargesheet filed pertaining to FIR 59/2020, the Delhi Police dedicate almost 700 pages to the chronology of the conspiracy hatched. Confirming what OpIndia had already pointed out earlier, the February riots were inextricably linked to the December violence that was unleashed in various parts of the country such as Delhi, UP and other places.
On the 5th of December, a WhatsApp group called Muslim Students of JNU was created by Sharjeel Imam. This was right after CAB (Citizenship Amendment Bill) was tabled in the Parliament. It was revealed in the chargesheet that Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi (a student of Jamia) were in constant touch and Sharjeel was also in touch with “radical communal group” Students of Jamia (SOJ). In 2023, Arshad Warsi was arrested by the Delhi Special Cell in connection with the Pune ISIS terror module.
On the 6th of December, pamphlets which were written by Sharjeel Imam himself were distributed in the Jama Masjid area by the MSJ group. This fact was revealed by the chats recovered between Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi. The pamphlets were communal and essentially aimed to incite hate in the Muslim community by invoking the Supreme Court decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case.
Some of the pamphlets read “Law of Allah above all else” and “The command of Allah is above every law”.
The pamphlets that were distributed in mosques on the 6th of December also had a call to join the protest called by ‘United Against Hate’ at Jantar Mantar in large numbers and to “mobilise mob”.
On the 7th of December, Sharjeel Imam said that he would be joining the protests called by United Against Hate. This fact was revealed by his WhatsApp conversation with Arshad Warsi. While joining a protest is not wrong in itself, here is the clincher – on the 7th of December, Sharjeel Imam categorically said that he was planning something big in the next week and for that purpose, he would mobilise students from DU, AMU etc with the help of MSJ members.
On the 7th of December, at the protest organised by United Against Hate, the chargesheet says that Yogendra Yadav, Umar Khalid, Nadeem Khan, Sharjeel Imam, Ifat and Sai Balaji were also present. They delivered speeches against the CAA at this protest. Umar Khalid, who was his “senior and mentor” from JNU introduced Sharjeel Imam to Yogendra Yadav at this agitation.
Witnesses have told the police that earlier, Umar Khalid had already told Sharjeel Imam to make a group of “like-minded individuals” from JNU, Jamia, DU etc and had explained the concept of Chakka Jam to him. As an extension of that theme, at the meeting with Yogendra Yadav, he was told to “mobilise students of Jamia, DU and AMU”.
According to the chargesheet, four important things were decided in this meeting:
- It was decided between Yogendra Yadav, Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid that social media would be used to indoctrinate Muslims and for the mobilisation of people for Chakka Jam.
- Awareness campaigns should be launched in Muslim majority areas.
- Attempts should be made to form an alliance with like-minded Muslim organisations for Chakka Jam.
- Masjids should be the focal point for the starting of Chakka Jam and the help of Imams should be taken.
The entry of Yogendra Yadav in the conspiracy hatched, according to the chargesheet, dates back to the 7th of December 2019. This was only days before the Jamia violence erupted and several areas of Delhi saw violence. It was also days before Tahir Hussain admitted that he had started inciting people against CAA and pelted stones against the Hindus on the 17th.
By the 7th of December, Umar Khalid and Yogendra Yadav had met Shajreel Imam. While the initial mobilisation had already started between the 5th and 7th of December, it is the events of the 8th of December that we will analyse in this report.
The infamous meeting between Yogendra Yadav, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others
On the 8th of December 2019, a meeting was held between Yogendra Yadav, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others at a Jangpura basement. The image of this meeting has been included in the chargesheet by the Delhi Police.
It was in this meeting, that according to the chargesheet, a plan was hatched on how to implement the Chakka Jam. It was decided that it would be Sharjeel Imam who would organise and lead students from various universities and colleges in and around Delhi. It was, interestingly, also decided that organisations like United Against Hate and Swarajya Abhiyaan would help each other in every way possible. This has, according to the Chargehsheet, been revealed by a witness.
The fact that this meeting took place was also confirmed by the chats that were discovered between Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi. On the very same day of the meeting, a WhatsApp group was also formed (CAB TEAM) where Umar Khalid, Yogendra Yadav, Sharjeel Imam and other accused were present.
According to the chargesheet, it is evident that this meeting in Jangpura was pivotal in the conspiracy that was hatched. It was in this meeting that the seeds of violence were sown and a collaborative effort between the organisations and people like Sharjeel Imam, and Umar Khalid was decided.
Where was this infamous meeting of the 8th of December held
According to the chargesheet, this pivotal meeting was held at a basement in Jangpura.
The address of the meeting, as mentioned in the chargesheet, is 6/6, Jangpura Ext.
When a cursory search is done, it turns out that the address, 6/6 Jangpura, is where the office of Prashant Bhushan is.
Prashant Bhushan has multiple places from where he functions. His official chamber listed on the Supreme Court website (since he is an advocate on record) is New Lawyers Chamber, Supreme Court of India. 6/6 Jangpura, however, is his office which he has listed in several court documents.
For example, in 2021, Prashant Bhushan was the lawyer representing a petition by Dr Jaboc Puliyel, demanding the release of vaccine data (trial and post vaccination data).
OpIndia found a communication by Prashant Bhushan to the Supreme Court, duly signed by him, where his office is listed at the basement of 6/6 Jangpura.
This document to the Supreme Court, duly signed by Prashant Bhushan, proves that the exact address where the meeting was held on the 8th of December 2019, where the conspiracy for the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots was hatched according to the chargesheet, is indeed the office of Prashant Bhushan.
Basement of 6/6 Jangpura – Not just Delhi anti-Hindu riot, it is the birthing place of anti-India propaganda
The basement of 6/6 Jangpura – office of Prashant Bhushan, has birthed several anti-India campaigns apart from serving as the location where the conspiracy for the Delhi anti-Hindu riots was hatched.
Shanti Bhushan along with Prashant Bhushan had a few years ago set up the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reform (CJAR) to supposedly demand accountability in the Indian judiciary. However, CJAR has been at the forefront of anti-India propaganda for long.
In 2017, for example, the Supreme Court fined CJAR Rs 25,00,000 for its petition falsely accusing a judge of accepting bribes from a medical college to pass favourable orders. “No judge can be held responsible for what may or has happened in the corridors, or for ‘who purports to sell whom’. The alleged actions of a retired judge of a High Court, allegedly assuring and promising a ‘favourable’ decision… in a case which was then pending before this court, begs the question, and we wonder, as to what favourable orders have been passed,” the Bench had said in its order.
CJAR was also at the forefront of running propaganda against CJI Dipak Mishra and furthering the narrative of the 4 judges who had held a press conference against the CJI at the time.
CJAR is, however, not the only organisation that functions out of 6/6 Jagpura. NAPM – National Alliance for People’s Movement is a far more vile organisation that also has its office at 6/6 Jangpura – essentially – functioning out of the office of Prashant Bhushan.
NAPM was founded by Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan fame in 1996. In 2022, Patkar was booked in a case of fraud. Medha Patkar and several others were accused of misusing funds in the name of educating tribal children. An FIR was lodged in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani against Medha Patkar and 11 others in this regard. In the FIR, Pritam Raj, the complainant, accused Patkar of embezzling more than Rs 13 crore on the pretext of funding educational opportunities for tribal children. The complaint also alleged that Patkar had misappropriated funds since she did not have accounts for all of the donations collected for the education of the tribal poor between 2007 and 2022. According to the FIR, Medha Patkar raised more than Rs 13 crore through the ‘Narmada Navnirman Abhiyan’ foundation. She was accused of inciting anti-government sentiment by soliciting donations for education.
Medha Patkar is best known for her ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ against the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river. The protest contributed to the years-long postponement of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project on the Narmada River. So-called social activists and environmentalists like Medha Patkar expressed concern as soon as the construction of the project started. When Medha Patkar visited the project site in 1985, she accused that the dam had fallen short of the social and environmental requirements set forth by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
For suspected money laundering during the “Narmada Bachao Andolan,” the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed an FIR against activist Medha Patkar on April 5 this year. In addition to the ED, investigations into Patkar’s shady dealings have also been initiated by the Department of Revenue Intelligence and the Income Tax Department.
According to a Pioneer report, Patkar’s NGO received a donation of roughly Rs 1.2 crores within a year of its foundation in 2004 but managed to elude authorities for almost 17 years.
The investigation raised several concerns regarding the payments. According to records obtained by Pioneer, the NGO received the funds on June 18, 2005, from 20 different sources in a single day. Surprisingly, the amount of all 20 donations was the same, which was Rs 5,96,294. Pallavi Prabhaar Bhalekar, one of the donors, was a minor at the time the donations were transferred.
Coming back to NAPM, it has participated in a number of propaganda campaigns whitewashing the crimes of Islamists and blaming Hindus. Its registered office is also at 6/6 Jangpura.
It is pertinent to note that Medha Patkar had also participated in the anti-CAA protests which ultimately led to violence.
NAPM had come out in support of GN Saibaba. GN Saibaba and several others were convicted and sentenced to life by the sessions court of Gadchiroli in March 2017 for association with the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), an affiliate of CPI(Maoist). Saibaba and the others were found to be posing Naxal literature, and the court had said that they intended to circulate the literature among people in Gadchiroli to incite people to join the Naxals. Most of the material both in physical and electronic form was found with Saibaba, and he had introduced others accused in the case with the Maoist organisation.
NAPM extended support to ‘The Kashmir Wala’ and others charged by NIA under UAPA. “The duo, under an active conspiracy and Pakistan’s support, resurrected a platform reviving the narrative in support of the terrorist and separatist ecosystem. They were spreading an anti-India narrative by exploiting digital platforms under a concealed and camouflaged set-up with the help of illicit funding received from hostile foreign agencies and proscribed terrorist organisations,” said an official privy to the case. Earlier in 2023, the court framed charges against Peerzada Fahad Shah.
The organisation came out in support of NewsClick as well. NewsClick is in the dock for being funded by China and running their propaganda against the interest of India.
They blamed Hindus for the Nuh violence where Muslim mobs ran rampage attacking Hindu devotees.
NAPM and its involvement in the Delhi violence
As mentioned earlier, Medha Patkar, who founded NAPM, was also a part of the anti-CAA protests. Interstingly, NAPM’s registered office is the same as the registered office of Prashant Bhushan where the 8th December meeting between Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Yogendra Yadav and others were held, conspiring to unleash violence.
Throughout the violence which started in December 2019 and lasted till the 26th of February 2020, NAPM was at the forefront of offering help and support to the accused.
On the 15th of December 2019, NAPM extended support to the Jihadis of Jamia who committed unbridled violence during their anti-CAA protest. It is pertinent to note that the chargesheet also details how students of Jamia had attacked police with weapons, petrol bombs, rods and stick. These violent Jihadis had injured 10 policemen on duty. The police had found that this was a premeditated incident of violence.
NAPM too played to role of instigating mobilisation on the 15th of December 2019.
They have rallied for the release of the Jihadis arrested pursuant to the chargesheet 59/2020 – those who were a part of the conspiracy.
It is pertinent to note that NAPM is spreading propaganda, demanding for the release of Umar Khalid – the very Umar Khalid who was one of the masterminds of the Delhi anti-Hindu riots and was present for the 8th December meeting held at 6/6 Jangpura – the office of Prashant Bhushan and the registered office of NAPM.
Questions that need to be answered
2. In the 59/2020 chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police, the address of a meeting held between Yogendra Yadav, Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others on the 8th of December 2019 has been mentioned as 6/6 Jangpura basement. Was Prashant Bhushan present at the said meeting between Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and others?
3. Was it in Bhushan’s knowledge that a plan for chakka jam and ensuing violence was being hatched at this meeting?
4. Whose proposal was it to hold the said meeting at Bhushan’s office space?
5. To what extend was Prashant Bhushan involved in the meeting?
6. Was he privy to the conversation being held during the meeting?
7. Ishrat Jahan and Khalid Saifi have named Prashant Bhushan in their disclosure statements during the Delhi Riots investigation. The statements mention that he had extensively participated in the anti-CAA protests which ultimately led to violence. Prashant Bhushan needs to be investigated for the extent of his involvement in these protests.
8. Was he a part of the DPSG Whatsapp group or any of the groups that were created to coordinate the protests and the ensuing violence?
9. Has the Delhi Police approached him to question him about the meeting held at his office basement, where the police say the conspiracy for the violence was hatched on the 8th of December 2019?
The Delhi anti-Hindu riot was an elaborate conspiracy to teach Hindus a lesson. That this violence was specifically designed to target Hindus and the ruling government of India has been established by the Delhi Police in their chargesheets which painfully documents how the conspiracy to spark violence progressed daily ever since the 5th of December 2019. With one of the earliest meetings furthering the conspiracy being held at Prashant Bhushan’s office, it becomes imperative that Bhushan is questioned about his involvement in the violence and the conspiracy to spark violence.
Note: OpIndia has sent an email to Prashant Bhushan asking for his response to this story. No response has been received so far. The article will be updated if and when Bhushan replies.
