'DPSG group chat used to plan protests, relief work but all of it a conspiracy'

new delhi: The Delhi Protest Support Group — a WhatsApp group chat supposedly at the centre of the purported "conspiracy" to incite the north-east Delhi riots in February was a platform for activists and anti-CAA protesters to organise their demonstrations, mobilise people for the protests, plan specific sites for the protests, arrange funds for the protests and arrange relief and rescue operations during the riots, according to the Delhi Police chargesheet filed in FIR number 59/20.

But the Special Cell, citing these points of discussion in the group, has claimed that all of this was part of the alleged "conspiracy" by anti-CAA activists to purportedly incite the riots that killed at least 53 people, over 40 of whom were Muslims.

Significantly, the fact that the protesters were looking to mobilise women for the protests in order to avoid conflicts with law enforcement agencies and that Muslims were being mobilised to agitate for their rights has led the police to the conclusion that the demonstrations were "communal" from the get-go.

As per the chargesheet, on December 26, 2019, a meeting was held at Indian Social Institute in Lodhi Colony which was attended by prominent activists and filmmakers like Harsh Mander, Yogendra Yadav, Umar Khalid, Rahul Roy, Saba Dewan, Amrita Johri, Khalid Saifi and others.

The chargesheet goes on to say that at the meeting, several points were discussed, including arranging lawyers for detainees, ensuring the protests are women-centric and scheduling speakers and artists for different protest sites.

"While spontaneous protests are taking place amongst the Muslim community in Old Delhi and Trans Yamuna area, there are parts of Delhi where Muslim communities live where hardly any public action being planned, sustained. For instance, Burari, Tughlaqabad, Sangam Vihar, Mehrauli etc. There will be a clearing house for dates of protests, public action so that there is minimum overlap and long gaps are identified planned for. Rahul Roy will take responsibility with the help of some others," one message in the DPSG group said, which has been highlighted by the police.

However, just below that is a message that says: "There should be every effort made to try and make sure that the protests remain non-violent."

The Delhi Police also investigated the chats transcripts of the group. In the group, members talked about identifying gaps, windows in mobilisation and think of what can be planned to fill the gaps. They also discussed that there is an urgent need to try and do anything possible to help keep the attention in Uttar Pradesh and expose cases of police brutality.

Yet, the police go on to call members of the DPSG group chat "hardcore, professional ideological deviants" and that this platform was where the accused allegedly "found their voice and realized the true objectives of terror conspiracy".

But in an attempt to justify their theory of anti-CAA protesters "masterminding" the riots, the police have gone on to allege that members of the WhatsApp group had started discussing rescue and relief operations during the riots to purportedly "appear peaceful" and that it was an attempt to "build a false

narrative".

Curiously, the group chat also referred to a complaint being filed against BJP leader Kapil Mishra for allegedly inciting the riots. This too, the police believe was an attempt of the members to build a "false narrative" and "shift the blame". The police claim that a member of the group chat had purportedly threatened to "blow the whistle" on the anti-CAA protesters' "plans".

As for coinciding protests with the US President's visit, the police claim filmmaker Rahul Roy had sent a message saying he had discussed with DU professor Apoorvanand, following which the "course of the protests" needed to be changed. However, in this message, Roy does not mention riots, violence, arms or ammunition.

After this message, the police believe that unusually low traffic on the group chat in the days preceding the riots was somehow indicative of a burgeoning "conspiracy". Police said before February 17, around 100 messages were exchanged in the group daily but after a meeting about a "chakka jam" at Chand Bagh, the group allegedly went silent with only 25 messages between February 18 and 21.

"In pursuance and furtherance of the common conspiracy, post chakka jam executed attacks on police personnel and non-Muslims. The petrol pump was set ablaze in an attempt to cause a very large explosion. Access to essential services were paralysed," the Delhi Police claimed.

According to police, "disenchanted and disconcerted with the scale and magnitude of the violence unleashed by the key conspirators, a few members of the DPSG WhatsApp group threatened to expose each and every culprit of DPSG group who were responsible for these riots. Alarmed and panicked by the whistle-blowing posts, there was a flurry of calls on February 24, after a threat by an important member of the DPSG group". There were over 20 calls between Umar Khalid, Natasha Narwal, Rahul Roy, Khalid Saifi, Meeran Haider, Nadeem Khan, Saba Dewan, Jhanavi, Tabrez following this.

The call made by Jahanvi Mittal to Tabrez, the person who allegedly arranged 300 odd women protestors and who had participated in the violence on the previous day was of special significance, the chargesheet says. "In this call, Jhanavi warned Tabrez to keep silent about the transportation of women folk from Jahangirpuri to Seelampur-Jaffarabad and their precipitation [sic] of the riots on the previous day, " police claimed.

The cumulative content of these conversations, police claimed, showed that the conspirators allegedly decided to deploy "the ultimate guerilla strategy of blaming law enforcement agency for the carnage". The chats further revealed that the group also met one Joint CP and then Deputy Chief Minister.