A Delhi court has ordered the Delhi Police to conduct further investigation against BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who won a landslide victory as a BJP candidate, for his alleged involvement in the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The case pertains to a petition filed by Yamuna Vihar resident Mohammad Ilyas in August 2024, seeking registration of an FIR against Mishra, the then SHO of Dayalpur police station, and five others, including three BJP leaders Mustafabad MLA Mohan Singh Bisht and former MLAs Jagdish Pradhan and Satpal MP. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia said that further investigation be initiated in connection with the first incident as the complainant has disclosed a serious crime. We are ordering further investigation against Kapil Mishra as we believe it is a serious crime. Lawyer Mehmood Pracha, representing Ilyas, alleged that on February 23, 2020, he saw Mishra and his associates blocking a road in Kardampuri and vandalizing the vehicles of street vendors. Earlier, the Karkardooma court had said that either the investigating officer did not conduct any investigation against Kapil Mishra or he tried to hide the allegations against Kapil Mishra. The court said that Kapil Mishra is a public figure and further investigation is required. Because such people directly influence public opinion. A person living a public life is expected to live within the ambit of the Constitution.
The Karkardooma court had further said that the kind of statements made have an adverse effect on communal harmony. Such statements are not only undemocratic but also an attack on the secular principles of the country. Such statements are a blatant violation of the basic nature of the Constitution. This is related to Section 153A of the Indian Penal Code which deals with communal and religious harmony. It is also linked to the responsibility of every citizen of the country. Just as the accused has the right to enjoy his freedom of expression, he also has the responsibility to maintain communal harmony. It is worth mentioning that in February 2020, more than 50 people, most of them Muslims, were killed after clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims over a controversial citizenship law. The violence that continued for several days in the city and in which hundreds of houses and shops were set on fire by the violent mob.
