Plea for NIA probe into violence in northeast Delhi; HC seeks Centre, AAP govt's stand

The Delhi High Court Friday sought response of the Centre and the AAP government on a PIL seeking NIA probe under the unlawful activities law UAPA into the violence in northeast Delhi over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notices to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Delhi government and the police seeking their stand on the plea which also wants registration of a case against those who were allegedly provoking citizens against CAA, including Congress leader Salman Khurshid and AIMIM leaders Waris Pathan and Asaduddin Owaisi,.

The petition by Ajay Gautam has urged the court to direct the Centre to order the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to find out the "anti-national forces" behind the agitations and to probe the role of People's Front of India (PFI) which is allegedly "funding, motivating and supporting the protests".

It has also sought the removal of protestors from all the roads which have been blocked in northeast Delhi by the use of "appropriate force".

The petition has further sought directions to the authorities to depute appropriate force in northeast Delhi, where violence has claimed 42 lives and injured over 250, to save life and property of the citizens and to control the situation there.

Gautam, in his plea, has contended that "it is not a normal protest" and "anti national and anti-Hindu forces are behind these protests and some vested interests/ parties/countries are funding these protesters".

He has contended that the protests were a "planned conspiracy against the state".