Massive anti-Hindu riots erupted in Delhi on Monday and continued on Tuesday. The death toll has reached 34, hundreds have been injured and the damage to property has been enormous. An Intelligence Bureau Constable has died in the riots along with a Head Constable of the Delhi Police. Amidst all of this, one gun-wielding man was spotted brandishing his gun at the Police and firing shots. The rioter was identified as Shahrukh and he has now been arrested. Despite all of this, a concerted campaign has been launched to blame Hindu outfits for the chaos that has been unleashed at the national capital. Usual suspects are labouring under the pretence that BJP leader Kapil Mishra is somehow to be blamed for the riots in Delhi.
However, the truth is that Delhi has been in the grip of communal violence ever since the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act. And what is happening currently is only the crescendo of a fire that was lit by Jihadis months ago.
December: The Beginning
The violence began on the 15th of December when Muslim mobs rampaged through the national capital. Amanatullah Khan, a prominent MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party, and Delhi’s Sunni Waqf Board chief was spotted leading the riots in Jamia Nagar. Chants of ‘Hinduon se Azadi’ were raised in the same area that very day. Buses were also set on fire during those violent protests. On the same night, the Delhi Police cracked down on the Jamia Milia Islamia University and entered the campus to flush out the miscreants.
Two days later, massive riots broke out in Seelampur. Delhi turned into a war zone. A school bus was attacked and set on fire as well. The mob taunted the policemen to run after them following which stones were pelted. Peace returned at the national capital following the escalation on the 17th of December but it was an uneasy peace. Police presence was still high given the security concerns. On the 27th of December, security was again heightened at Seelampur and drones were deployed for surveillance. Amidst all of this, the road continued to be blocked by the protesters at Shaheen Bagh.
January: Storm Clouds Gather Over Delhi
Through the month of January, the roadblock caused by the Shaheen Bagh protesters became the focal point for the Delhi Assembly Elections. On the 12th of January, demonstrations were held in Delhi demanding the removal of barricades and blockade on road number 13A between Mathura Road and Kalindi Kunj, in order to ease the traffic. Soon afterwards, the Delhi High Court had instructed the Police to keep the law and order situation and public interest in mind while evicting the protesters at Shaheen Bagh.
On the 17th of January, the Delhi Police requested the protesters at Shaheen Bagh to unblock the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch because of the inconvenience it was causing the residents of Delhi. By then, sensing the anger among the people of Delhi regarding the harassment the anti-CAA protests were causing and coming to the conclusion that it might affect the Delhi elections, those sympathetic to the Aam Aadmi Party and biased against the BJP started laying down the groundwork for a ‘tactical retreat’. Appeals were made by ’eminent journalists’ to withdraw the protests but their appeal fell in deaf ears.
First Half of February: Enter The Grim Reaper
By the dawn of February, the ordinary people of Delhi were incensed at the prolonged protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. On the 2nd of February, counter-protests were organized at Shaheen Bagh against the road blockade caused by the anti-CAA brigade. This was three days after a minor had opened fire at the anti-CAA protests in Jamia and only a day after Kapil Gujjar, associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, had fired three shots at Shaheen Bagh.
Around the same time, a baby died at these protests due to the negligence of the parents after being exposed to the harsh weather of Delhi. The parents showed no regret and instead blamed the government instead. However, the celebration continued at Shaheen Bagh despite the tragedy. It is not to say that the mother of the baby herself would have wanted anything otherwise. She had declared that she was ready to sacrifice her remaining two children for the ‘fight against NRC’ as well.
On the 7th of February, the Supreme Court postponed the hearing for a plea filed against the Shaheen Bagh protests, noting that it can influence the voting for the elections on the 8th of February. The same day, the Court took suo moto cognizance of the death of the infant in order to stop the involvement of children in these protests. On the 10th of February, the apex court observed that there must be a designated site to carry out such protests and raised concerns about whether public inconvenience can be caused by blocking roads indefinitely.
Third Week of February: Cacophony of Impending Doom
In the third week of February, the interlocutors appointed by the Supreme Court to solve the impasse were failing spectacularly, as everyone expected it to from the very first day. The interlocutors were appointed by the apex court on the 17th of February with the objective of convincing the Shaheen Bagh protestors to relocate to an alternative place.
Since then, it has been a game of incessant delay that has been played at Shaheen Bagh. The women of the Shaheen Bagh protests were caught being tutored by ‘activist’ Teesta Setalvad, who has in the past been accused of embezzling 2002 riot victims’ money, ahead of their meeting with interlocutors. Soon after, on the 21st of February, the terms set by the Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors for talks with the Shaheen Bagh protesters was rejected by the latter. They refused to meet the interlocutors in groups due to the possibility of ‘distrust’ among those who did not meet them in that particular group. It was the first sign that all was not well between the protesters themselves.
Fourth Week of February: The Delhi riots and the Crescendo
The circumstances in the fourth week of February provided for the manifestation of a perfect storm. US President Donald Trump was due for an official visit to India on the 24th of February. On the 22nd of February, the protesters at Shaheen Bagh set seven conditions to end their illegal occupation of the public road. It was the fourth day of the mediation talks.
The conditions were preposterous, to put in mild terms. It was demanded that all the cases against the students of Jamia Milia Islamia University be revoked. It was also demanded that all cases against ‘youngsters’ who were booked for the Shaheen Bagh protests be revoked. In addition to all of this, the protesters also demanded that cognizance be taken of the death of people in the anti-CAA ‘protests’ across India. And, of course, they also demanded that the NPR exercise not be carried out at the national capital. The nature of these demands proved that the mediation efforts were not going too well.
The same day these preposterous demands were made to end the blockade of road, a group of over 500 Muslim women gathered near the Jafrabad Metro Station and blocked road No. 66, which connects Seelampur to Maujpur and Yamuna Vihar. Certain ‘concerned’ citizens who oppose the CAA claim that the women were incited into blocking the roads by activists associated with the Far-Left women rights group Pinjra Tod. They also claimed that violence was incited by the Pinjra Tod activists.
On Sunday, BJP leader Kapil Mishra demanded the removal of Anti-CAA protestors and clearance of the road within 3 days. He emphasized that they would not listen to anyone if the Anti-CAA rioters do not shift and clear the roads within the given time. A clash also broke out between Pro-CAA and Anti-CAA groups in Maujpur near Jafrabad, leading to heavy stone-pelting and vandalism of public property.
On the day Donald Trump arrived in India for his official visit, the 24th of February, widespread anarchy and chaos erupted across the national capital. Muslim mobs went on a rampage again in Delhi and a head constable of the Delhi Police lost his life. A petrol pump was set on fire at Bhajanpura in East Delhi and many vehicles were burnt. Another DCP has been injured during clashes between two groups in Delhi’s Gokulpuri.
In the midst of all this, the photograph of a certain gun-wielding rioter wearing a maroon/red t-shirt has gone viral on social media. Some people claimed that the gun man who opened fire at police during Delhi riots is from the ‘rightwing’ while others have claimed that the said person is a Muslim rioter. Later, the gun man was identified as Shahrukh and was arrested.
Since then, it has been chaos in Delhi. The dead body of an Intelligence Bureau constable was recovered from a drain in Chand Bagh. A Hindu man was murdered in Brahmapuri amidst chants of ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ and ‘Nara e Taqbeer’. The death toll has reached 20 and scores of people have been injured. A Mosque is also said to have been damaged in Ashok Nagar. The Police has denied that any Mosque has been damaged in Ashok Vihar. 19 year old Vivek was attacked in his own shop, a drill machine was bored into his head. A great deal of property has been damaged across the national capital.
“Men love to blame demons when their grand plans unravel.” -Tywin Lannister
While Delhi grapples with anarchy, liberals were busy blaming ‘Bhagwa’ and Kapil Mishra for the mess despite all evidence to the contrary. An attempt has also been made to paint the recent Delhi riots in isolation of everything that has happened before. The fact of the matter is, it all began when Ladeeda Sakhaloon, Barkha Dutt’s Jamia ‘shero’, gave a call for Jihad on the 11th of December 2019. The entire cycle of violence in Delhi began soon afterwards. And since then, it has never been peaceful.
It is also pertinent to remember that the Shaheen Bagh protests were masterminded by Sharjeel Imam, a radical Muslim who wished to cut off North East India from the rest of the country. He was also a columnist at The Wire and had written columns eulogizing Jinnah. He is currently under arrest but it is he who had laid the seeds for the chaos. Even then, other radical Muslims had lent their support to Sharjeel Imam and defended the seditious speech that he made.
The communal riots that erupted in Delhi is a direct consequence of the city being held hostage by rabid Islamist for their sinister objectives. For over two months, ordinary citizens of Delhi have been harassed and subjected to great inconvenience on purpose. While usual suspects are blaming Kapil Mishra and the ‘Bhagwa’ for the riots, they appear overeager to absolve the Islamists for their sins.
It is an objective truth that the cycle of violence was not initiated by people of saffron hue. The call for Jihad was not made by Kapil Mishra or saffron politicians. Saffron had nothing to do with the 15th December riots either. Moreover, even anti-CAA activists have claimed that violence was initiated by the far-left group Pinjra Tod.
Those who are overeager to blame the Bhagwa for the riots have made several attempts to whitewash the Islamist nature of the anti-CAA protests in Delhi. Slogans of ‘Jinnah Wali Azadi’ and ‘Hinduon se Azadi’ were ignored. Some of them even accused OpIndia of manufacturing the ‘Hindu se Azadi’ video and branded it fake but ultimately, the video was proven to be authentic.
The usual suspects also ignored the fact that the Shaheen Bagh protests were being led by people whose conscience was not even troubled by the death of an innocent baby. They were also willing to ignore the fact that children were being indoctrinated into a cult of hatred in these protests. The role of Ladeeda Sakhaloon and Sharjeel Imam in the creation of the current crisis in Delhi is not even spoken about.
Another aspect that cannot be ignored is the possibility that the riots were timed with Donald Trump’s visit to India. Pinjra Tod has been accused of inciting violence and blocking the roads on the 22nd of February. A thorough investigation must be conducted in order to get to the truth of these allegations. The only reason Kapil Mishra and the ‘Bhagwa’ are blamed is that people want a convenient scapegoat for the violence and they do not wish to engage the elephant in the room.
EndGame of Delhi riots: Khilafat 2.0
OpIndia has been saying for quite some time that what we are witnessing today is the Khilafat 2.0. A vast network of Radical Islamic Organizations have spent a great deal of time and resource to manufacture a giant crisis in the backdrop of CAA and NRC. A student organization that is the ‘blood brother’ of the banned terrorist outfit SIMI has been involved in these violent protests. The link between the Islamic Youth Federation that does not believe India is sovereign and Sharjeel Imam is also being investigated by the agencies. Under such circumstances, it is mischievous and dubious to blame Kapil Mishra or the ‘Bhagwa’ for Khilafat 2.0.
Let us not mince our words here. The time for beating around the bush has long since passed. Everything that has happened in Delhi points towards the fact that an attempt was made to repeat the events of the Khilafat Movement. The Radical Islamic Movement of the 20th Century which paved the way for the creation of Pakistan was marked by a massacre of Hindus that is oft forgotten: The Moplah Massacre. It is an objective fact that the Jami anti-CAA movement was led by people who glorified the genocidal maniacs of the Moplah Massacre.
Petrol bombs, sacks full of brick pieces, stones, acid packs and even catapults to hurl the stones have been spotted at AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain’s rooftop. All of this points towards the fact that the violence was organized. And it can be speculated safely that the Delhi riots could have very well resulted in a repeat of the Moplah Massacre almost a century ago, only the victims this time around would have been the Hindus of Delhi. The evidence at hand does suggest that a repeat of the Moplah Massacre of Hindus was averted. However, that is not reason enough for complacency.
Only 22 years after the Khilafat Movement had ended, Mohammed Ali Jinnah had given the call for Direct Action Day. A repeat of the Moplah Massacre might have been averted a century later but it also means that Direct Action Day is looming around the corner. And from Sharjeel Imam’s rhetoric, it is evident that another Direct Action Day leading to another partition of the country is the long term plan of Radical Muslims. People would like to believe that as normalcy returns to Delhi, there will be a semblance of peace in the country for the near future at least but they would be mistaken to believe so.
The Khilafat Movement had lasted for five years, between 1919 and 1924. History repeats itself and we are watching it unfold right in front of our very eyes. And if pattern sustains itself, we can be relatively sure that communal tensions will prevail in the country for another year or two at the very least, possibly more. If we manage to avoid that fate, then we ought to consider ourselves extremely fortunate. We have managed to avoid a repeat of the Moplah Massacre but we should not take our eyes off the Direct Action Day that could come later.
