'Institutional Failure': Citizens Committee Report Blames Govt, Police & Media For Delhi Riots 2020

After two years of the horrifying incident that shook the entire nation, the Citizens Committee has authored a report expressing grave concerns about the role of the central government, Union Territory (UT) government, and media in the Delhi riot in 2022.

The report, titled 'Uncertain Justice: A Citizens Committee Report on the North East Delhi Violence 2020', is authored by a committee of former Supreme Court, High Court Judges, and retired IAS officers. In the 171-page report, the bureaucrats have criticised lawmakers' role and termed it an 'institutional failure.'

It states, "The Central and State Governments have failed to fulfill their solemn obligation to safeguard lives, property, and the rule of law. More than two years since the violence, glaring issues of accountability remain unaddressed."

The Citizens Committee that has made the report consists of Justice Madan B. Lokur, former Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice R.S. Sodhi, former Judge of the Delhi High Court, and Justice AP Shah, former Chief Justice of the Madras High Court and former Chairman of the Law Commission, among others.

The Northeast Delhi riots in 2020 affected the lives of hundreds of protestors and led to the death of over 50 people. Several activists were booked and charged by the Delhi police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), reported The Quint.

Key Takeaways From The Report

Firstly, the report questions the role of Delhi police as to why it failed to take any preventive measures to combat the polarised atmosphere that continued till February 23. The report drew comparisons between the Delhi riots in 2020 and the Jahangirpuri violence that occurred in April 2022. It noted that the reaction of Delhi police in both incidents was notably different in terms of security force deployment.

The report also criticised the role of the Government of India and Delhi in tackling the mass violence that horrified the nation. It termed their role in controlling the violence as a 'failure of constitutional duties.' Furthermore, it mentioned that Delhi police and paramilitary forces come under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Due to this, the Union ministry should be held accountable for inadequate response and police deployment.

It reads, "With these crucial roles, the Central Government is primarily responsible for protecting the lives and property of the people of Delhi. Despite all the resources at its command, the MHA's interventions failed to contain the violence in North East Delhi."

Media Channels Propogated Hate

According to the report, specific news channels played a crucial role in propagating hateful messages. These news channels ensured that hate news reached a broad audience through broadcasting and social media platforms.

The report also mentioned names of channels that took the lead in building hateful narratives -- India TV, Zee News, Aaj Tak, Republic Bharat and Times Now (English). The report reads, "The analysis reveals that the channels' reportage of events surrounding the CAA framed the issues as "Hindus versus Muslims" with prejudice and suspicion against the Muslim community.

"These channels concentrated on vilifying anti-CAA protests, fanning unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, and calling for their forcible shutdown," it added.

The Citizens Committee also pointed fingers at the role of the Delhi Government and said that the government did only little things to mediate between the communities. However, the police come under the central government; the report said, "Delhi government failed even to exert the role of civic mediation, and statesmanship, to calm the situation."

It also questioned the use of UAPA against the activists and others. It said the committee has found that no material produced validates the allegations on the activists and the charges in which they have been booked.

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