2020 riots: Court orders framing of charges against 25 in head constable death case

A Delhi court recently ordered the framing of charges, including murder, arson and dacoity, against 25 persons accused of being involved in the 2020 North East Delhi riots, which led to the death of Head Constable Ratan Lal.

The court noted that the actions of the accused at the Chand Bagh protest site were not acts of lawful dissent but part of a pre-planned conspiracy involving violence and destruction.

The case pertains to an incident on February 24, 2020, during the anti-CAA/NRC protests when a police team was brutally attacked by a riotous mob.

Lal, despite suffering from mild fever, was on duty to manage escalating tensions in the area. He died from a firearm wound and 21 other injuries sustained while shielding senior officers.

Along with Lal, senior police officers, including the then DCP of Shahdara and the ACP of Gokalpuri, suffered serious injuries, and 50 other personnel were hurt.

In its 115-page order, the court dismissed the argument that the accused were exercising their constitutional right to protest, stating that such rights do not permit violence, assault, or damage to property.

Judge Pulastya Pramachala described the incident as a deliberate act of violence, pointing out that the mob was equipped with weapons and followed a strategy to attack the police. Evidence revealed that protest organisers had urged participants to block roads and carry weapons, with a clear intention to incite violence.

The court has ordered charges to be framed against 11 organisers and speakers, including Mohammed Salim Khan and others, for criminal conspiracy, and against 14 additional individuals for offences such as murder, attempted murder, rioting and arson.

However, two accused, Mohammed Wasim, alias Bablu, and Sahid, alias Shahbaz, were discharged due to a lack of conclusive evidence linking them to the riot.

The court emphasised that the protest had ceased to be peaceful, with deliberate plans for violence, including the use of women and juveniles to escalate tension. Judge Pramachala observed that the gathering was armed with the intention to harm law enforcement and damage property, dismissing claims that the accused were simply protesting government policies.

The case has been scheduled for December 3 for the formal framing of charges. The riots, which lasted from February 24 to 26, 2020, resulted in the deaths of over 50 people and injuries to more than 200.