Cops active participant in Delhi riots: Amnesty

New Delhi: An Amnesty International India field investigation has documented several human rights violations committed by the Delhi police during the February 2020 Delhi riots, which claimed at least 53 lives.

"These violations include Delhi police officers indulging in violence with the rioters; torturing in custody; using excessive force on protesters; dismantling protest sites used by peaceful protesters and being mute bystanders as rioters wreaked havoc," says the almost 10,000 word report on the investigation released Friday.

Titled "Six Months Since Delhi Riots, Delhi Police Continue To Enjoy Impunity Despite Evidence Of Human Rights Violations" , the report says that "As the Delhi police investigate who is responsible for the riots, there have been no investigations till now into the human rights violations committed by the Delhi police during the riots."

The riots were sparked after protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act spiralled into violent clashes incited by virulent speeches by political leaders. Amnesty International India has called for the repeal of CAA, describing it as a "bigoted law that discriminates on the basis of religion. The law is specifically exclusionary towards Muslims."