No incident of rioting took place post Feb 25, says Amit Shah

Replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on Delhi violence, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that no incident of rioting took place in the national capital after February 25.

"I would like to place on record that after February 25 no incident of rioting took place. There have been attempts to politicise these riots. We said that we are ready to hold a discussion regarding the violence after Holi because it is a festival which has a history of having violent incidents on that day," said Shah amid disruptions in the House.

"These violent incidents which have spread so much...the police also need some time to investigate it to the core. They need time to find the reasons behind it," he added.

Shah praised Delhi Police for not allowing the riots to spread to the other areas.

"Questions have been asked about what the Delhi Police was doing. Police were on the ground then, police will also probe and submit a report in the coming days. I would like to praise the Delhi Police for not allowing the riots to spread to other areas," said Shah.

"Delhi Police contained the rioting within 36 hours," he added.

Amit Shah also paid tribute to the victims of Delhi violence, which erupted in parts of the national capital city recently.

"I pay my tribute to all those who lost their lives in riots in Delhi and extend my condolences to their grieving families," Home Minister Shah said in the Lok Sabha at the outset of his reply to the debate on Delhi violence.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Meenakshi Lekhi said that the recent incidents of violence in the North-East Delhi were in the making for months.

Lekhi also criticised the Congress party, stating that "some people have the history of setting things ablaze."

At least 53 were people killed and more than 200 sustained injuries in the violence.