A Delhi court has ordered the registration of a fresh FIR based on a complaint by a Muslim man who alleged that he and his family were violently targeted during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The complainant, Rahees Ahmed, accused a mob of looting, arson, and hate-driven violence, and claimed police failed to act on his initial complaint, LiveLaw reported.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Isra Zaidi of the Karkardooma Courts directed the Station House Officer (SHO) of Karawal Nagar police station to lodge a separate FIR and carry out a fair investigation. The court noted that Ahmed’s allegations — which included communal violence, looting, arson, and hate speech — were serious and involved specific individuals with clearly assigned roles.
“The complaint discloses grave and cognizable offences. It cannot be diluted or ignored by clubbing it with a general FIR unrelated to the specific events described,” the judge said.
Ahmed’s petition detailed a targeted attack during the riots by a mob allegedly armed with sticks, iron rods, and petrol bombs. The group, he claimed, vandalized his home, looted cash and jewellery, and attempted to set his property ablaze. He also alleged that the mob raised inflammatory slogans and delivered hate speeches designed to incite communal violence and instill fear.
The complaint named several accused individuals, including Vinod, Tinku, Aadesh Sharma, Mahesh, Suresh, Monu, Anshu Pandit, Rajpal, and others. One of them, Aadesh Sharma, allegedly pointed a gun and threatened to kill Ahmed and his family, calling them “Pakistanis” and declaring they had no right to live in India.
According to the complaint, others in the mob chanted slogans such as “Desh ke gaddaron ko goli maaro saalon ko” (“Shoot the traitors of the country”) and “Mullo ke do sthan – Pakistan ya kabristan” (“Muslims have only two places – Pakistan or the graveyard”), while invoking the names of political figures like Kapil Mishra and Mohan Singh Bist.
One individual, Tinku, allegedly ordered the use of a petrol bomb on Ahmed’s house, which was subsequently thrown by another accused, Suresh. The attackers reportedly entered the house through the roof, and Rahul Nagar was said to have fired multiple gunshots into the air.
Despite Ahmed approaching the police and a general FIR being registered, the court found that it pertained to a separate incident at the shop of Aazad Singh and did not address Ahmed’s specific grievances.
“The incident described by the complainant occurred at a different time, involved different people, and had no connection to the earlier FIR,” the court observed.
Stating that Ahmed’s complaint had been wrongly merged with unrelated cases, the judge emphasized the need for a dedicated investigation.
The court ordered that a compliance report be submitted within seven days but clarified that the order did not direct the immediate arrest of any accused person.
