Delhi Police verifying authenticity of ex-cop’s letter questioning NE riots probe

Delhi Police are verifying the authenticity of an email sent by retired IPS officer Julio Rebeiro questioning the probe into the Delhi riots cases.

Reberio said that the Delhi Police are taking action against "peaceful protesters", while ignoring those who made hate speeches which triggered the riots in North East Delhi in February this year.

The email written to Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava read, "The Delhi Police have taken action against peaceful protesters but deliberately failed to register cognizable offences against those who made hate speeches which triggered the riots in NE Delhi.

"It troubles sane and apolitical persons, like me, why Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma have not been arraigned before the Courts of law while deeply-hurt Muslim women, peacefully protesting against discriminations based on religion, were lodged for months together in jail!"

The letter added, "The not-so-subtle attempt by the Delhi Police to entangle true patriots, like Harsh Mander and Prof. Apoorvanand, in criminal cases is another matter for concern. We, the police forces in the land, and its leadership drawn from the Indian Police Service, have a duty and obligation to respect the Constitution and the enacted laws, impartially without regard to caste, creed and political affiliations."

The email also requests the Delhi Police Commissioner to revisit the police actions, saying: "Kindly revisit the actions of the police under your command in Delhi to determine if they have been true to their oaths taken at the time of their induction into service."

The Delhi Police on Saturday confirmed receiving the mail but added that they are verifying the veracity of the mail.

"An e-mail purportedly sent by Julio Rebeiro has been received today in which he has raised concerns regarding the investigation of NE Riots. Rebeiro is a respected police officer. Since the officer in whose name the email has been received has not been in touch with Delhi Police in the recent times and especially in the past 6 months, we are trying to ascertain the veracity and the genuineness of the mail," the Delhi Police said.

The Delhi Police also responded to media reports which mentions them naming academicians and politicians in the supplementary chargesheet of the case related to the Jaffrabad riots.

The police said that it has been mentioned in one of the news reports that the names are part of the disclosure statement of one of the accused in connection with organising and addressing anti-CAA protests.

"It is worth mentioning that the disclosure statement has been truthfully recorded as narrated by the accused person. A person is not arraigned as an accused only on the basis of a disclosure statement. However, it is only on the existence of sufficient corroborative evidence that further legal action is taken. The matter is currently subjudice," a senior Delhi Police officer said.