Delhi Violence: Police Chargesheet Nothing but ‘Cheatsheet’, says Brinda Karat

New Delhi: The ‘statements” allegedly made by the witness in the North East Delhi violence in the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police has thrown up more name of political party leaders and activists. Some of these are CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, CPI(ML) politburo member Kavita Krishnan among others.

Reacting to her name in the list of people who made speeches, that led to violence in North East Delhi early this year, Karat termed the Delhi Police charge sheet as a “cheatsheet”.

"I say this is not a chargesheet, this is a cheatsheet and the government of India through the Delhi police directly under instruction of home Ministry is cheating the people of India," Karat told ANI.

"Those who are actually responsible for the communal violence like Kapil Mishra are being considered as whistleblowers in this very same cheatsheet. Those of us who had protested against this CAA, are being called as anti-India, anti-constitution. We are being charged, so it is just cheating the people," she added.

Speaking with Indian Express, Khurshid said: “If you pick up all the garbage there is, you will end up with over 17,000 sheets of a chargesheet. A chargesheet is supposed to be distilled, authentic, effective and useful evidence of a cognizable offence. If someone says that 12 people came and made provocative speeches, it can’t be that 12 people made the same kind of provocative speech and each one had the same level of provocation. Provocation and mobilisation is not a criminal offence in this country.”

The disclosure statements also include other names such as CPI leader Annie Raja, student activist Kawalpreet Kaur, scientist Gauhar Raza and advocate Prashant Bhushan. Earlier, the names of CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, academics Jayati Ghosh and Apoorvanand, filmmaker Rahul Roy and others had also found mention in the disclosure statements of Pinjra Tod activists Devangana Kalita and Natasha narwal, both of whom had refused to sign those.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan, whose name also figures in the ‘statements’ two of the arrested persons – Khalid Saifi and Ishrat Jahan – told Indian Express that this was part of the Delhi Police’s “strategy” to “implicate any prominent person’ who supported the widespread anger against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

“I did go to a few places and speak quite strongly against the CAA and in support of the protest. I never make any speech which is provocative in the sense that it provokes violence. I did speak strongly against the government and if they get provoked, then I can’t really help it,” he told IE.

The Delhi violence in February this year had led to deaths of at least 53 people, mostly Muslims, and hundreds of others injured.