NEW DELHI: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has demanded investigation into excesses by Delhi police personnel against muslim women during the Trilokpuri riots recently in the national capital. The party has filed a complaint before the Delhi Minorities Commission in this regard.
The four-page complaint with testimonies of the victims was filed on October 30 in which they alleged Delhi police male officers used force against Muslim women besides indiscriminate arrests, torture, beatings, high-handedness and abuse of power.
They demanded an independent inquiry into the unlawful acts involving police personnel from Kalyanpuri and Mayur Vihar Phase I police stations and take stern action against the culprits.
Delhi Police have registered three FIRs and have arrested 32 Muslims and 12 Hindus so far in connection with the riots.
SDPI state secretary Azim Khan claimed, “We spoke to several residents from different blocks in the area. Muslim men were picked up not only from streets where violence took place but also from their homes.”
“Police also physically assaulted and abused the women and children in the house before dragging these men out…There are numerous testimonies of Muslim women being beaten and verbally abused by male police officers,” Khan alleged.
A testimony of an woman alleges around 3.30 pm on October 25, around 20-25 policemen broke open her house and assaulted her husband and brother-in-law — a tuberculosis patient — and picked them up.
Claiming that Muslim women continue to feel unsafe, the complaint stated, “It has also been reported in eyewitness accounts that Muslim women are especially vulnerable at this point and fear for their safety. This feeling of insecurity or apprehension of sexual violence is exacerbated in those blocks of Trilokpuri where there are fewer Muslim houses.”
Chairman of the commission Qamar Ahmad said the commission is examining the complaint and has asked residents of Trilokpuri to share their experiences with its members. The three-member commission had also visited the riot-ridden area for restoration of peace.
