New Delhi: Participating in a discussion on Delhi riots in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy termed Bharatiya Janata Party leader Meenakshi Lekhi “Devil’s advocate” when she tried to defend BJP’s Kapila Mishra over his “hate” speech.
“Lekhi’s speech can be termed as hate speech. She is a Devil’s advocate,” Roy said.
Echoing Mamata Banerjee, he said Delhi riots were a “planned genocide” and listed the sequence of events, which, he claimed, had led to riots in northeast Delhi on February 23. It turned deadly on February 24 and February 25.
Roy said first students were attacked. Later, BJP leaders made provocative statements, women agitators in Shaheen Bagh were abused, BJP’s Anurag Thakur raised “Goli maro” slogan, the Home Minister spoke about “current in Shaheen Bagh”, Mishra issued an ultimatum, and the riots started.
He said Home Minister Amit Shah was at the Motera Stadium welcoming US President Donald Trump when five people were killed in Delhi. The first meeting between the Home Minister and the Delhi Chief Minister took place the next day, not on the day riots begun, he added.
The MP from Dum Dum in West Bengal asked why was National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval looking after the law and order situation in Delhi. “Doval should have been in Kashmir,” he said.
Reminding the House of the Naroda Patiya massacre on February 28, 2002, Roy said, “We haven’t forgotten Naroda Patiya. I feel bad standing face to face with Shah. You are still young. Unless you acknowledge failure and seek remedy, you will remain the man who couldn’t control riots barely 10 km from your home.”
In connection with the four-day Delhi riots, 254 FIRs have been registered and over 900 people arrested or detained. It claimed 53 lives in areas like Jafrabad, Chand Bagh, Kardampuri, Shiv Vihar and Brijpuri and Karawal Nagar in northeast Delhi.
Among over 350 injured, 87 received gunshots, between February 24 and February 25. As many as 79 houses, 52 shops, five godowns, four religious places, three factories and two schools were set ablaze during the riots, as per the Delhi Police record.
