On February 23, an anti-Muslim pogrom was unleashed in parts of North East Delhi, the worst the city has seen in decades. Over fifty people have lost their lives so far, hundreds have been injured, and thousands have been left homeless.
The violence began after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra lashed out at anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act sit-in protests in the area, giving the Delhi Police a three-day “ultimatum” to clear them.
What followed was three days of carnage, mayhem, loss of life, property and dignity.
Here’s a timeline of what has happened so far.
Anti-CAA Protest At Jaffrabad Metro Station
February 22, 2020
On 22 February, inspired by the sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh, a group, largely comprising women, sat down to protest peacefully against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) under the Jaffrabad Metro Station, occupying one of the carriageways under the raised metro line. There was no indication, at the time, of…
Read moreKapil Mishra’s Ultimatum
February 23, 2020
On the afternoon of 23 February, a Sunday, a rally was organized in Maujpur, led by Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra. Standing next to a policeman, Mishra demanded that anti-CAA protesters in Chand Bagh and Jaffrabad be removed within three days. If not, he warned, his supporters would take matters…
Read moreViolence Begins
February 24, 2020
On the morning of 24 February, Monday, Maujpur erupts in violence, with large-scale stone-pelting, and members of two communities blaming each other for the wave of violence. Muslim houses, shops, and places of worship were singled out and torched.
Read moreGokalpuri Tyre Market Set On Fire
February 24, 2020
On Monday, close to 8.30 PM, Gokalpuri’s tyre market with predominantly Muslim businesses was set ablaze. The Wire reported its journalist witnessing cries of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ being shouted in front of the fire by a group of Hindutva supporters at the site.
Read moreMazar Burnt Down In Chand Bagh
February 24, 2020
A mazar (Muslim mausoleum) was set on fire in Chand Bagh on Monday. The Caravan reported the incident as follows: “Amid all the destruction, a mazar—shrine—stood burning at a short distance from a police outpost. A group of around thirty Hindu rioters stood on the Yamuna Vihar side of the…
Read moreStone Pelting, Arson Continues, Mosque Vandalised
February 25, 2020
On Tuesday, reports started emerging of marauding Hindu mobs stopping vehicles and asking people their religious identity. Depending on the answers, members of one community were spared while members of the other were thrashed, their papers looted and vehicles damaged. One journalist escaped by saying her surname was “Sharma”. BJP…
Read moreMosques and Huts Burned, Children Attacked In Mustafabad
February 25, 2020
A Hindutva mob attacked the anti-CAA protest site, injuring several people including children. Houses and shops belonging to Muslims were set on fire. AAP member Amit Mishra tweeted a video of violence from Mustafabad, which shows a Hindu mob trying to break into a Muslim house. अब उपद्रवी लोग घरों…
Read moreMuslim Residents Leave Mustafabad Fearing Violence
February 26, 2020
Following the violence on Tuesday, Muslim residents in Mustafabad were seen leaving their homes with bags and bundles of their belongings, fearing further violence. Muslim residents from Mustafabad in north east Delhi leave the area carrying their belongings with them. #DelhiViolence #DelhiRiots pic.twitter.com/Bocj3Fmn19 — Nicola Careem (@NicolaCareem) February 26, 2020
Read moreSupreme Court Slams Delhi Police For ‘Inaction’
February 26, 2020
In oral remarks on February 26th, the Supreme Court slammed the Delhi police for not doing enough to check the violence and for its inaction against the inflammatory speeches that provoked the mobs. The court also said that the violence in Delhi would not have happened had the police not…
Read moreVideos Emerge Of Police Joining Mobs In Attacking Muslims
February 26, 2020
Videos emerged of police beating a group of Muslim man, and forcing them to chant ‘Vande Mataram’. Faizan, the 23-year-old Muslim man who was filmed as he was brutally assaulted by policemen, died after the Delhi Police illegally detained him for over 36 hours and denied him urgent medical attention,…
Read moreDelhi Hight Court Tells Police To File FIRs Against BJP Leaders
February 26, 2020
The Delhi high court asks the Delhi Police to ‘take a conscious decision with respect to the registration of FIRs’ against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Kapil Mishra, and others, who made alleged hate speeches that may have incited violence in the national capital. Justice S. Muralidhar slammed…
Read moreJudge Who Ordered FIR Against BJP Leaders Transferred
February 26, 2020
The Ministry of Law and Justice Wednesday transferred Justice S. Muralidhar of the Delhi High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The order of transfer was issued on the same day, the judge held three key hearings on the Delhi riots and pulled up Delhi Police for failing…
Read moreDelhi High Court Backtracks On Hate Speech FIRs
February 27, 2020
The day after a bench headed by Justice S Murlidhar slammed the Police for its ‘inaction’ and said the court did not “want a repeat of 1984”, a new bench gave the Centre and police four weeks to reply to a Public Interest Litigation seeking FIRs against three BJP leaders…
Read moreAccording to the Citizenship Amendment Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, and facing religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship. The Act intentionally leaves out Muslims.
The BJP-led government has said the new law will be followed by a National Register of Citizens (NRC) that means Muslims must prove they were original residents of India and not refugees from these three countries. Non-Muslims listed in the law, by contrast, have a clear path to citizenship.
