by the Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

How to trivialize serious issues such as rioting and national security our media, Delhi Police and MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) to an encroachment drive can be learned from the aforementioned entities.  Instead of looking for clues, doing serious investigations as to why stone-pelting happened, who started the argument that lead to the communal tension, the whole discussion has taken an about-turn and now it’s about bulldozers and encroachment removal.

At first, it was told that there was some kind of planned conspiracy that stones were pelted on Ram Navmi processions and several accused were apprehended. Now this claim itself casts serious doubts on Delhi Police’s ability to stop such incidences. Was the police network sleeping? If there are Rohingya s and Bangladesh migrants who are living illegally in Jahangirpuri then this should raise serious questions about the national capital’s security and about solving illegal migration?

If there was no permission for the procession that was carried out during the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti then why was it allowed in the first place? How will the Delhi police ensure that these things don’t happen again when there is a procession next time? It was reported that one of the accused who was arrested was also named in the Delhi riots in 2020. So, did no one have any clue about him all this time?

This whole incident also raises questions about the home ministry, and if it’s up to the task of keeping people safe. This is the second time the national capital has seen a communal riot-like situation, then shouldn’t the Home Minster come forward and answer questions? It’s surprising that Delhi Police Commissioner is not asked to resign from his job.

Now coming to the whole encroachment drive thing, it was reported that many people who had valid papers saw their shops bulldozed. I am not saying that illegal encroachment should not be removed but there is a process for that. That process it seems was demolished in this drive.

Above all else, let us not try to look at each other with a lens of suspicion. Let us not let WhatsApp messages cloud our suspicion. It’s easier to believe the provocative messages that are floating around but for the sake of our collective future, our country’s future, let’s not rush to easy conclusions about each other.