Delhi HC issues notice to Delhi Police Commissioner over BJP leaders' incendiary remarks

Delhi High Court has issued a notice to Delhi Commissioner of Police, Amulya Patnaik on the plea filed seeking registration of FIR against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and Kapil Mishra for their inciting speeches during the campaigning ahead of Delhi assembly elections. The notice issued requires Patnaik to respond to the petition and show up for the hearing at 12:30 PM on Wednesday. Notice has also been issued to all three BJP leaders.

A parallel case is also being heard in Delhi High Court concerning the violence erupted in North East Delhi over CAA. Over the plea for action against those involved in inciting violence, the high court has insisted the police not to wait for court direction and should take action on the violence on its own and has also directed the senior-level police officer to be present before it at 12:30 pm. The petition asks for a judicial inquiry into the violence, which according to the latest reports, has claimed 20 lives with over 180 injured.   

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BJP leaders' incendiary slogans

The orders by Delhi High Court come against the backdrop of the inciting statements and slogans raised by BJP leaders. Ahead of the Delhi assembly elections, Lok Sabha MP and Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Thakur had raised slogan of "Desh ke Gaddaro ko" to which the crowd attending the rally responded with "goli maro..." while lashing out at the anti-CAA protestors at Shaheen Bagh.

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Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma had also made inciting statements asking the voters to vote for BJP or else the Shaheen Bagh protestors would "enter homes and rape and kill daughters and sisters". Former AAP turned BJP Kapil Mishra, on the other hand, had termed the Delhi assembly election as an India vs Pakistan contest, and days before the Delhi violence broke out, had given the Delhi police a deadline to clear out two Shaheen Bagh protests, else he would do it himself. 

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