The frenzied violence witnessed between those supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act in North Delhi reflects a complete failure on the part of Delhi police leadership. The tension was simmering since Sunday, and the police who were ostensibly the referees of this match of communal violence stood clueless bystanders.
Violence escalated killing 11 people so far, with around 35 people critically injured. There are hundreds hospitalized with injuries. Several houses, shops and vehicles were torched. There is arson, loot and stone-pelting, and even acid was being thrown. The lawlessness stood at its lowest nadir.
The turmoil in the Capital comes as a massive embarrassment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a time when the focus of India and the world has been on US President Donald Trump’s visit. It’s a shame for the Indian leadership to showcase the warm hospitality while leaving Delhi exposed to the violence of the highest order. The picture of a tolerant India and the communal harmony is torn apart.
It appears that the Centre was so engrossed with Trump that everything else was shunted to the backburner. And it comes as a surprise that even intelligence inputs of the escalating violence fell on
deaf ears.
The State is duty-bound to provide a tight security cover for the US president, but it’s a disgrace to let the ordinary citizen exposed to such free-for-all violence. It’s an honour to treat Trump over a feast of food at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, but it’s a shame that around 15 kilometres away there are fists of fury and communal violence.
The question to be asked is, why did the police leadership fail to control the situation despite being equipped? Mobs outnumbered the meagre police force on the ground. The police feared for their lives and which is why the damage control measures failed miserably. It’s a bizarre sign of incompetence of Delhi police leadership because there was no sense of direction. They failed in the most miserable form.
What was presumed to be a sideshow to the big-ticket Trump-Modi show flared up so big that it took the sheen off the diplomacy and the wow moment. And it brought shame to India because the global narrative of the visit will now be a mélange of goodwill and communal violence.
This is the worst form of violence Delhi has seen since the 1984 riots. The Centre must deal with such situations promptly and with all seriousness. There needs to be an immediate clampdown on protestors, and mob violence should be dealt with an iron hand. The failure to rush in additional forces promptly led to escalation. The government must take stock and swing into action. It must advise leaders to restrain from making provocative statements on such sensitive issues. Bringing in a special police chief at this hour could change very little since the damage is done. Crucial time was lost in ensuring that the Trump party concluded peacefully.
