A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced Dinesh Yadav to five years of imprisonment in connection to the February 2020 Delhi pogrom. This is also the first sentencing in cases related to the anti-Muslim violence erupted by Hindutva mobs in the national capital.
Yadav was among a Hindu mob of about 200 who had trespassed into the house of a Muslim woman, vandalised it, committed robbery and then set it ablaze on February 25, 2020, according to a complaint filed by the 73-year-old Muslim woman.
The court will pass a detailed order later.
Last month, Yadav was the first person to be convicted in cases related to the anti-Muslim violence in the national Capital in February 2020.
Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat had found Yadav guilty under sections 143 (member of an unlawful assembly), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 457 (house trespass), 392 (robbery), 436 (arson) of the Indian Penal Code.
The maximum punishment under these sections have a jail term of up to 10 years.
While delivering the veridct, court said: “The fact that the accused also belongs to Hindu community and was present in the mob armed with an wooden rod which mob resorted to violence against the Muslims, indicates that he shared the common object of the unlawful assembly.”
Judge went on to say: “It does not appear that his presence at the incident spot was only because he is a resident of that very area, as sought to be argued by his Ld. Counsel. The circumstances in which the members of Muslim community were identified and beaten, their vehicles damaged and their houses broken open, robbed and set ablaze by the rioters comprising the members of the other community coupled with the object of the unlawful assembly i.e. to assault the Muslims and damage their properties and the fact that the accused was seen amongst the rioters armed with a wooden rod, are sufficient to indicate beyond any doubt that he too shared the common object of the assembly and had knowledge that these types of incidents would be indulged into by the members of the assembly.”
The FIR was lodged on 4 March last year at Gokalpuri police station on a written complaint from a 73-year-old Muslim woman Manori. In her complaint, Manori stated that on 25 February last year, a riotous Hindu mob consisting of 150-200 people had trespassed into her house and committed vandalism, robbery and thereafter put it on fire.
Yadav was identified by the complainant and was also identified by two witnesses namely Aashik and Aarif, nephew of the complainant.
Yadav was arrested in June last year. The court framed charges against him in August this year to which he pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Yadav is also involved in other FIRs 64/2020 and 78/2020 both pertaining to police station Gokalpuri.
On February 23, 2020, violence erupted in northeast Delhi and lasted several days, resulting in the death of 53 people, the majority of them Muslims, and the injury of 250. Approximately 2,000 were displaced.
