Delhi police committed ‘serious human rights violations’ during religious riots, Amnesty International says

Force beat protesters, tortured detainees and took part in mob violence, report alleges

Authorities say more than 50 people were killed during clashes between Hindus and Muslims in February (AP)

Police in India committed “serious human rights violations” during deadly religious riots in Delhi earlier this year, Amnesty International has said.

In a report released on Friday, it said police beat protesters, tortured detainees and in some cases took part in riots alongside Hindu mobs.

More than 50 people were killed when clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims over a controversial citizenship law in February, according to authorities.

Amnesty said there has been no independent investigation into the role the police played in the rioting despite dozens of people alleging police misconduct.

It also said there has been no first information report registered against any police official, which is a prerequisite for a criminal investigation.

Responding to the report, Delhi police spokesman Eish Singhal said he was “not privy to the events,” and therefore could not confirm the veracity of the claims.

Joint Commissioner of Police Dr O P Mishra, put in charge of the area in the aftermath of the rioting, said he was “not aware” of another of the report’s allegations — that people were arrested without warrants, deprived of legal counsel and in some cases tortured in custody.

“I am not aware. I was on special assignment and left as soon as things normalized. These are part of investigation,” he said.

During rioting between 23 and 29 February, armed mobs of Hindus and Muslims threw rocks, exchanged gunfire and set fire to hundreds of vehicles, homes and businesses.

The violence began after Kapil Mishra, a senior figure in prime minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP party, threatened that if the police failed to stop the citizenship law protests, he and other Hindus would take matters into their own hands.

While both Hindu and Muslim communities suffered losses in the riots, Muslims bore the brunt of the violence. Of the 51 deaths whose identities have been confirmed, 36 were Muslims and 15 Hindus.

The violence coincided with a state visit by the US president, Donald Trump, on 24 and 25 February.

It came months after protests began over the Citizenship Amendment Act, a law which fast-tracked naturalisation for foreign-born illegal migrants from several neighbouring countries of all major faiths in South Asia except Islam.

Delhi police were earlier accused of beating student demonstrators at university campuses and failing to protect peaceful protesters at the Muslim-majority enclave of Shaheen Bagh, as well as later in northeast Delhi.

“Six months on, there has not been even a single investigation into the role of the Delhi police,” said Avinash Kumar, Amnesty International India’s executive director. “This ongoing state-sponsored impunity sends the message that the law enforcement officials can commit grave human rights violations and evade accountability.

“Amnesty International India calls on the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct a prompt, thorough, transparent, independent and impartial investigation into all allegations of human rights violations committed by Delhi police and the hate speeches made by political leaders.

“This impunity sends the message to the politicians and police who advocate for violence in their speeches, and fail to prevent the violence that follows, that they can get away with committing grave human rights violations. This impunity needs to, and must, end in order to bring justice to the victims and their family members.”

Additional reporting by Associated Press