Delhi police identify officers who forced youth to sing anthem during riot

New Delhi: The Special Investigation Team of the Delhi Police Crime Branch is reported to have identified three policemen who forced five men to recite the national anthem during the Northeast Delhi riots last year.

The policemen were caught on camera forcing the injured persons from the Muslim community to recite the national anthem. One of the injured seen in the video later died. The policemen, now posted with the Delhi Armed Police, will be subjected to lie-detector testing, according to a report published in the Indian Express.

In the 17-month long investigation, the Crime Branch is said to have questioned over 100 police officers and had verified several documents to place its hands on the three officers.

Though the police personnel involved in the incident are visible in the video, the identity of the officers on duty could not be established since police officers from three to four police station areas were said to have been deployed at 66 Foota Road on February 25 last year to control the riots.

One of the investigation officers with the Crime Branch said that the footage could not provide a clear identity of the officers for which they have to go through all records of police officers, including those policemen who were deployed outside the area.

One of the youths identified as Faizan, a resident of Kardam Puri who was tortured during the riot, died a day after his release from Jyoti Nagar Police Station at a hospital. The accused policemen are said to have forced the men to sing Jana Gana Mana as well as Vande Mataram.

The Delhi Police had deposed before the Delhi High Court that CCTV cameras at Jyoti Nagar Police Station were not working between February 24 and March 4 due to technical reasons and that there was no tampering involved.