Over 300 riots cases yet to be solved: Police

New Delhi: Two years after the deadly north-east Delhi riots in February 2020, as victims of the riots continue to deal with the trauma and consequences, the Delhi Police is yet to solve over 300 of the 758 cases registered in the matter and charges have been framed in just nearly 100 cases. Moreover, in nearly half the cases the police are yet to file a chargesheet, according to official data provided by them.

The Delhi Police said that they had arrested 2,456 people in the last two years, of which 1,610 accused had been chargesheeted - 798 Hindus and 812 Muslims. The riots resulted in 53 deaths, including that of a police officer and an IB staffer. Of the total deaths, over 40 were of Muslims and the rest of Hindus.

758 cases were registered of incidents- 62 cases of murders or heinous nature were transferred to SIT of Crime Branch and to excavate the larger conspiracy, one case is being looked into by Special Cell of the city police and remaining 695 cases were handled by the local police.

The SITs in Crime Branch have arrested 411 accused and the Special Cell has arrested 21 accused persons.

The Delhi Police said that of the total cases registered, it had solved 440 — 45 by Crime Branch SITs, one by the Special Cell and 394 by local police.

While courts have taken cognizance of chargesheets in 338 cases, arguments on charges are underway in 170 cases and charges have been framed in around 100 cases. Claiming that they had investigated all riots cases meticulously and in the most professional manner, the police said they had been clinical about collecting evidence and probing the case.

To bolster this, the police also quoted from a court order, which appreciated the probe conducted by the police and its unbiased approach.

So far, only two trials have concluded, one ending in an acquittal and the other ending in a conviction.

However, despite the police's insistence on their investigation, multiple courts, including the Delhi High Court, have caught the Delhi Police failing miserably in their investigation and repeatedly pulling them up for shoddy investigations and recording extremely doubtful witness statements.