Delhi violence: RAF tackled over 300 fire-related incidents

The RAF, a specialist anti-riots unit of the CRPF summoned to handle the communal clashes in northeast Delhi, tackled over 300 incidents of fire as compared to a few cases of quelling violent protestors that is its primary charter of duty, official sources said on Tuesday.

They said the blue-dungaree donning Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel rescued a number of people who were trapped inside burning houses even as they doused flames that had engulfed numerous buildings and vehicles parked on the road. Almost eight companies of the force, which is about 700 personnel, were actively deployed from February 25 in various riot-hit areas like Dayal Bagh, Govindpuri, Karawal Nagar, Khajuri Khas and Bhajanpura, among others, the sources in the force said.

"The RAF teams encountered as many 300-350 incidents of fire when they fanned out in these areas. The troops and the commanders led from the front and entered burning houses to rescue people," an RAF commander said.

Despite not having protective gears, the RAF personnel saved people from a number of fire-engulfed buildings as there was no one else to help them, he said. Fire-fighting is not the primary charter of the RAF but as a force in uniform it is the duty to help people in distress, whether trapped in violent protests or in fire-engulfed buildings. As per an official report, RAF Commandant Bhavesh Chaudhary along with his two jawans, constables Shiromani Singh and Sunil Kumar, entered a burning house in Brijppuri area and helped to rescue a family on the night of February 25.

This RAF team had also cleared the road beneath the Jaffrabad metro station on the same day, which was blocked by protestors, by moving in "heavy anti-riot vehicles like 'Vajra' and taking out a march displaying strong body language", the report said. When another team of the force along with Delhi Police personnel entered Chandbagh area on the same day (February 25), rioters pelted stones at them which was retaliated by firing of tear gas shells, the sources in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) said.

Hundreds of tear shells were fired to disperse the crowds but not a single bullet was fired by the RAF, they said. A team led by RAF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Alok Awasthi also took out a march in the affected areas and talked to locals even as they maintained their presence in the area for long hours to keep troublemakers at bay. The force personnel also rescued those who were surrounded by violent mobs at numerous spots. On February 27, a team of about 16-17 personnel patrolling in Shiv Vihar area saved an auto-rickshaw driver and three others as a mob was lynching them, the officials said.

"The RAF is mandated to ensure that peace prevails as soon as they are on ground. About eight companies of this force were deployed to help locals and counter protestors. These teams are still deployed in and around the affected areas to check occurrence of any untoward incident," CRPF spokesperson DIG Moses Dhinakaran told PTI.

More than 40 people have been killed and numerous others injured in the communal clashes that took place on February 24-25.