Delhi violence: Oppn parties write to Prez, demands action against hate speeches

Leaders from parties like NCP, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, LJD, DMK and AAP demands action against those accused of making provocative speeches. Earlier, the Congress had met the president on Thursday to seek normalcy and peace in areas hit by violence and had demand Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation.

New Delhi:Several non-Congress opposition parties have written to President Ram Nath Kovind to direct authorities to ensure peace is restored in violence-hit northeast Delhi and action against those accused of making provocative speeches.

Leaders from parties like NCP, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, LJD, DMK and AAP have also sought time from Kovind to discuss the situation in the national capital.

Areas affected due to Delhi violence

"Immediate establishment of peace and a direction to authorities concerned, like the Lt Governor of Delhi who is directly answerable to you, to ensure speedy restoration of normalcy and to ensure that FIRs must be filed immediately against all who have made provocative hate speeches and the perpetrators of this violence must be brought to book," the leaders said in their letter.

The Congress had met the president on Thursday to seek normalcy and peace in areas hit by violence, and had demand Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation.

The leaders from the non-Congress opposition parties also urged the president to direct authorities to set up relief camps for those rendered homeless during the violence, provide them adequate security and ensure supply of essential commodities for their wellbeing.

Since these riots have caused unimaginable mental anguish to the people, especially children, centres must be opened in the affected areas to counsel them, the letter stated.

The parties also said they be allowed to organise inter-faith peace events in riot-affected areas

The Centre should announce "suitable compensation to the families of those who died and those who were injured in these attacks", the letter stated.

It said adequate compensation should be given to those whose homes, properties and commercial establishments were destroyed.

The letter was signed by Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Sitaram Yechury, Loktantrik Janata Dal's Sharad Yadav, Nationalist Congress Party's Praful Patel, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's T R Balu, Communist Party of India's D Raja, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Manoj Jha and Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh.

Sanjay Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member, asked why the BJP was not taking action against those openly giving inflammatory speeches.

"The court has taken the name of Kapil Mishra, Pravesh Verma and Anurag Thakur, then why no action is being taken by the BJP. Is any law and order left in this country. Their own MP Gautam Gambhir is demanding action against them, their allies are asking for action, but they are roaming freely," he said.

At least 42 were killed and over 200 injured in the communal clashes that broke out in northeast Delhi on Sunday after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control.

The areas worst affected in the violence include Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Khureji Khas and Bhajanpura.