Thread by @thecaravanindia

#DelhiViolence | Today marks a year since anti-Muslim violence began in northeast Delhi.

Here is a master thread of our coverage—ground reports, video stories, testimonies of survivors and in-depth investigations into the BJP and the Delhi Police’s complicity in the violence.

“At around 1–1.30 pm, a right-wing Hindu mob of around two hundred men arrived near the protest site, carrying stones and chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram!’ We could see that they were with the police—we were on a rooftop, from where we were covering this.” bit.ly/3dEvcCm

The stick-wielding CAA supporters at Babarpur said they had no idea about the CAA and were out on the street because they did not like the “Muslim” anti-CAA protesters of Jaffrabad and Shaheen Bagh. bit.ly/2TEHD6T

The anti-CAA protest tents had been burnt to cinders, a car behind the site was still burning, sections of the railing on the road divider had been uprooted, smoke billowed out of a burning brown tempo truck on the road. bit.ly/2vizxHw

Mohammad Iqrar, who lives next door to the Alvis, said that the entire neighbourhood was awash with shock and grief. “We didn’t even have time to commiserate because everyone was holed up inside their homes throughout the night," Iqrar said. bit.ly/32v3uAn

Scenes from Muslim Gullies: Hindu mobs terrorise Vijay Park residents

From 26 February, @shaheen_ahmed1 and Sagar’s report: bit.ly/3pP3Agw

“Initially, only those injured in stone pelting were coming, but all of a sudden, people with bullet wounds began coming in,” Meharban, a photojournalist, said. “Soon, only people with bullet injuries began coming in.”

#DelhiViolence bit.ly/3bxxws6

“The mosque was not even 30 metres away. On the road, I could see members of a mob, armed with sticks and iron rods. I gathered courage and passed through them. Throughout that walk, I kept trying to conceal my beard with my hands.”

Parijat in: bit.ly/39byWGs

Gokalpuri's upper-caste locals said they found themselves naturally aligned with the BJP and the Delhi Police because they believed that only these two organisations had “protected the Hindus” during the violence.

#DelhiViolence bit.ly/2OSdjWi

Chronicles of Carnage: Mustafabad's residents recount incidents of targeted violence

From 29 February, Praveen Donthi’s report: bit.ly/3slfzDR

Imran said he was standing right outside his house at around 5 pm on 25 February, when he was shot in his thighs. “The situation in Mustafabad is that we are not even safe in our homes,” he said.

@rag_ps reports: bit.ly/2VxLDqY

#DelhiViolence

The stories of the displaced Muslim residents’ struggle to reach a place of safety and the Al Hind administration’s determination to accommodate them give a glimpse into the desperate circumstances of the victims of the #DelhiViolence. bit.ly/2I8hpTA

“There is no humanity left,” Zubair's brother, Khalid, said of the attack and its now-iconic image, his voice trembling. “You don’t even slaughter animals like that.”

Vaibhav Vats writes: bit.ly/38bQIIq

#DelhiViolence

Muslim residents of Khajoori Khas and its neighbouring areas believed that the media’s reportage on the murder of Ankit Sharma was intentionally distorted to project the Muslims of the area as “aggressors” and portray the Hindus as “victims.” bit.ly/2IhsQIS

Scenes From A Relief Camp: Shiv Vihar’s residents recall targeted attacks

From 2 March, @shaheen_ahmed1 and Kaushal Shroff’s report: bit.ly/3uo2I5W

Brutality in Mustafabad: A grieving family in the aftermath of a 23-year-old's murder

From 3 March, @shaheen_ahmed1 and Kaushal Shroff’s report: bit.ly/3pGlx0E

Carnage in Khajoori Khas: Muslim residents of Khajoori Khas recall how Hindu neighbours and police turned against them

From 5 March, @shaheen_ahmed1 and Sagar’s report: bit.ly/3qJGcCe

The situation on the ground is really pathetic,” Kurian Joseph, a former Supreme Court judge, said as he walked out of a government-run relief camp run at the Eidgah grounds, in Mustafabad.

Sagar reports: bit.ly/3cGCimO

Tahir said the uniformed attackers beat everyone they could get a hold of. “We told them we are calling for Hindu-Muslim unity, but they didn’t stop,” he said. “Even when I had almost fainted, they kept beating me.”

#DelhiViolence bit.ly/338xIcN

In some instances, the Delhi Police would lock down police stations where the detained men were being held; and information was being shared with pro-establishment media houses even before the families were informed. bit.ly/2vZM9Uv

The locals of Subhash Mohalla used to frequent the Masjid Hazrat Umar Farooq, which is a little ahead of the locality, near Ghonda Chowk. At some point during the two-day rampage, the mosque was also vandalised.

@DharaShukoh reports: bit.ly/2vX1vsQ

Chronicles of Carnage: A Shiv Vihar resident recounts how his home was sacked by a Hindu-nationalist mob

From 9 March, Praveen Donthi’s report: bit.ly/3dxHa0F

Locals say men in uniform torched Farooqia Masjid, assaulted people inside

From 11 March, @shahidtantray and Kaushal Shroff’s report: bit.ly/3aFGZ1h

#DelhiViolence

“In all four directions, parts of human bodies were lying around. Someone’s hand, someone’s leg, someone’s fingers were lying around here and there. There was blood spilled all around. I was myself soaked in blood from top to bottom.” bit.ly/38WBXcG

Announcements were instructing the crowd to boycott media houses. “Do not talk to the media. We got to know that Aaj Tak is running some false news.” The announcements continued, “but let Zee News and Republic TV come in, they are ours.” bit.ly/2UFvsWv

Inside A Cemetery: The aftermath of the Delhi violence

From 28 March, @shahidtantray’s report: bit.ly/3dHFmSZ

During the initial spate of violence, Muslim residents of northeastern Delhi repeatedly recalled the ineffectuality of calling the police, who either did not respond, stood by passively, or, in some cases, actively participated in the violence. bit.ly/2ypj99x

The Aftermath of Violence: Women from Shiv Vihar struggle to return to normal life

From 1 April, @nileenams and @NabeelaPaniyath’s report: bit.ly/37xHXuL

In the series, "Dead and Buried," @Prabhtalks reports on complaints filed by residents of northeast Delhi before the Delhi Police in relation to the February violence. The complaints raise serious questions about the Delhi Police's investigation into the violence.

Part one | The Delhi Police ignored complaints against BJP leaders—namely, Kapil Mishra, Satya Pal Singh, Jagdish Pradhan, Nand Kishore Gujjar, and Mohan Singh Bisht—accusing them of participating in or orchestrating the #DelhiViolence. bit.ly/315QBOz

Part two | The complaints accused senior police officers—including a DCP, two ACPs and two SHOs—of committing offences such murder, arson, looting and criminal intimidation during the #DelhiViolence. bit.ly/2YpWm7Y

Part three | The media coverage on explosives used in the Delhi violence focused on those discovered on the roof of Tahir Hussain's house. But numerous complaints filed before the Delhi Police accused Hindu mobs of using explosives openly and without fear. bit.ly/31Upp5E

The Caravan interviewed several complainants, on video, about what they witnessed during the #DelhiViolence and the allegations in their complaints. Not one of the complainants retracted the accusations in their complaint.

Mohammad Jami Rizvi said he witnessed the BJP leader Kapil Mishra lead an armed mob in Kardampuri during the #DelhiViolence.

From 22 June, @Prabhtalks and @shahidtantray in: bit.ly/2P2KnuY

Rubina Bano said she witnessed Anuj Sharma, a Delhi Police ACP, assure Kapil Mishra on the phone about attacking Chand Bagh's anti-CAA protesters.

From 22 June, @Prabhtalks and @shahidtantray in: bit.ly/3se8Trl

A resident of Chand Bagh said the police did not accept her complaint naming the accused officers.

From 25 June, @Prabhtalks and @shahidtantray in: bit.ly/2XNV8mi

Imrana Parveen spoke about the police brutality and intimidation she witnessed at Chand Bagh on 24 and 25 February.

From 25 June, @Prabhtalks and @shahidtantray in: bit.ly/31KrGPv

Ilyas recounts witnessing a Hindu mob destroy his shop, and how the police omitted crucial details from the FIR.

From 8 July, @Prabhtalks and @shaheen_ahmed1 in: bit.ly/2DTnZi9

Akram Khan, a 22-year-old resident of Chand Bagh, lost his arm due to an explosive during the Delhi violence. But the Delhi Police claimed that Khan suffered the injuries in a car accident.

From 8 July, @Prabhtalks and @shaheen_ahmed1 in: bit.ly/2Dzt0g5

Saleem Kassar said he witnessed a mob tie an explosive to his brother's leg, shoot him, and then throw his body into a fire.

From 11 July, @Prabhtalks and @shaheen_ahmed1 in: bit.ly/2PHuxD3

Eyewitnesses Ruksana Khatoon and Malka accuse a Delhi Police official, Harveer Singh Bhati, of shooting and killing Mohammad Furkan at an anti-CAA protest site in Kardampuri during the #DelhiViolence.

“We wanted to put you in a detention centre. Now, we will cut you up and put you there,” the mob in Mohammed Nasir’s neighbourhood said while targeting him. “This is a Hindu Rashtra and it will stay one.”

@shahidtantray and @ahanpenkar report:

“When Muslims go to them, they send them away,” Nasir said, recalling the time he went to see the Bhajanpura SHO in May. “They sent me back from the police station and told me that no one would be taking any FIRs.” bit.ly/2ORDoBG

“They are Muslims, they will never improve, they will attack us one day or another … this is true. Hindu brothers must be prepared”: Testimony of a Hindu rioter

@yuva_journalist and @shahidtantray report: bit.ly/2PfH7Jy

Hate Speech: Testimony of a Hindu rioter from the Delhi violence

From 1 August, @shahidtantray and @yuvajournalist in: bit.ly/3izOFTR

During and after the February violence in Delhi, an overwhelming amount of evidence emerged to show the complicity and participation of the Delhi Police.

@Prabhtalks and @ArshuJohn in the September 2020 cover, “Crime and Prejudice”: bit.ly/3jCJ2oG

The police did not produce any evidence in the chargesheet to suggest that the accused persons were even carrying any weapons apart from sticks, or any witness who saw Furkan being shot. It did not record the statements of the three eyewitnesses. bit.ly/3qj0tOE

A Family's Ordeal in the Delhi Violence: Betrayal by neighbours, police and a BJP MLA

@shaheen_ahmed1 and @Prabhtalks report: bit.ly/3aMQeNa