Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ch. Anil Kumar said that it was very unfortunate that  before the scars of the North East Delhi riots in 2020 could heal,  communal clashes  at Jahangirpuri yesterday, following the Hanuman Jayanti Shoba Yatra, has besmirched Delhi’s good name. He said that Delhi was known as “Dilwalon Ki Jagah”, but within two years, that name has been turned into make Delhi “Danga Ka Shahar” due to the provocative speeches of the BJP leaders with selfish motives, and the inaction and incompetence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind. He said that Arvind had run away from his responsibilities during the North East Delhi riots and when the Covid-19 pandemic was wreaking havoc in Delhi, and he has repeated his cowardice yet again.

Addressing a press conference at the DPCC office, Rajiv Bhawan, here today, Ch. Anil Kumar appealed to the Congress workers in particular and the people in general to ensure that peace prevails in the violence-hit areas and people should not be influenced by provocative Tweets and videos being circulated by political criminals, who want to erect a wall of hatred between communities and people for petty political gains. He said that it was very sad that when people were concerned with another surge of Covid-19 cases, price rise and unemployment,  people are being forced to indulge in violence for no rhyme or reason. Chairman of the Communications Department and ex-MLA Shri Anil Bhardwaj and Vice-Chairman of the Communications Department Shri Parvez Alam were also present at the press conference.

Ch. Anil Kumar said that if communal clashes could take place in a high-security zone like Delhi for the second time in two years, it was due to intelligence failure and the failure of the Delhi Police, special protection force, and security agencies who could not sense the unease prevailing at Jehangirpuri when permission was given for the Shoba Yatra, which was stoked by some political elements by pouring oil into the simmering angst.

Ch.Anil Kumar said that the Union Home Ministry, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind and Delhi Police should have learnt some lessons from the Ram Navmi clashes in UP, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal and Karnataka in the past 15 days, and should have taken precautionary steps so as not to repeat such clashes in Delhi, but Delhi Chief Minister Arvind, who did not endorse the views of 13 prominent Opposition leaders, led by Congress president Smt. Sonia Gandhi, against Prime Minister Modi’s and Home Minister Amit Shah’s silence about the Ram Navami violence, yet again failed to take prompt action to allow the violence to escalate. He said that CM Arvind has no concern for the people of Delhi, as he is only concerned about himself and his petty politics.

Ch, Anil Kumar said that Delhi’s Police probe into the Jehangirpuri violence should bring the guilty into the book and no innocent people should be punished due to political pressures.