2020 NE Delhi riots: Court charges against 6 for burning man alive

Delhi: Delhi's Karkardooma Court has framed charges of murder, rioting, and criminal conspiracy against six persons for allegedly assaulting a man and burning him alive during the northeast Delhi riots in February 2020.

The victim, Shahbaz was brutally attacked and subsequently set on fire on February 25, 2020, on the Main Khajuri Pusta Road.

The accused, identified as Aman, Vikram, Rahul Sharma, Ravi Sharma, Dinesh Sharma, and Ranjeet Rana, appeared before Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pulastya Pramachala.

"I find that all accused persons are liable to be charged for offences punishable under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 302 (murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 395 (dacoity) as well as 120 B (criminal conspiracy )," the judge ordered.

On February 25, 2020, Shahbaz went to Guru Nanak Hospital in Turkman Gate, Delhi, at around 7 am to collect medicine for his eyes. Later that day, at approximately 2.25 pm, Shahbaz's brother, Matloob, spoke to him on the phone and was informed that Shahbaz had arrived in Karawal Nagar but encountered ongoing riots in the area.

Around 3 pm, when Matloob attempted to contact Shahbaz again, he discovered that Shahbaz's mobile phone was switched off. In his search for his brother, Matloob was informed by an individual in Chaman Vihar that Shahbaz had been brutally murdered and burned by the rioters on Khajuri Pusta Road.

On February 27, upon learning that the police had taken a burnt body to the hospital, Matloob requested one Saqib to examine the body of Shahbaz in the mortuary at GTB Hospital.

Due to the limited remains, which included a skull and some pelvic bones, the physical appearance alone could not establish the identity of the deceased. Eventually, the deceased's identity was confirmed as Shahbaz through a DNA test that matched the DNA samples of the father with the burnt body parts.

The court in its order said that from the statement of the witnesses, it has come on record that the accused were actively part of the mob, which had earlier gathered on February 24, 2020, and properly planned to commit riot on February 25, 2020.

"Accused persons joined this mob being aware of the planning. They had also done so by being an active member of an unlawful assembly having its common object of causing harm and damage to the person and property of the Muslim community, violating the provisions of Section 144 CrPC, promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, causing the killing of the present victim, Shahbaz," the order read.

"In the present case, there are eyewitnesses, who claimed to have seen the accused persons being part of the mob and committing assault and the act of killing Shahbaz," the order further stated.

With inputs from IANS