Will augment efforts to rehabilitate Delhi riot victims: Centre, AAP govt to HC

The Centre, AAP government and municipal corporation of east Delhi on Friday assured the Delhi High Court they will augment all the efforts made by them to rehabilitate the victims of CAA-related violence in north-east district of the national capital.

The assurance came after a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh said that the central and state governments were required to ensure safety, security and hygiene of the people residing in the relief camps set up in north-east Delhi post the riots.

Central government standing counsel Amit Mahajan and Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra assured the bench that they will also take steps to secure health of the riot victims and to provide a fire engine, ambulance, mobile toilets and counsellors at the camps.

They also told the court that maintenance and upkeep of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation as well as providing beds and linen in the camps there would also be taken care of.

They further said that they will look into setting up three additional camps at the locations mentioned in the applications seeking interim reliefs for the riot victims.

The applications were filed in a plea alleging hate speech by various political figures from several parties, including Congress, BJP and AAP, and seeking lodging of FIRs against them.

After noting the assurance given by the authorities, the court listed the matter for further hearing on March 24.

The riots in connection with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) had claimed close to 50 lives and injured over 200, apart from causing destruction of property in north-east Delhi.