Ten months after clashes broke out between two communities in Northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area during a Hanuman Jayanti procession, Delhi Police arrested one of the key conspirators in the case. Police said the accused, Salman (24), a local gangster, was injured during the clashes and was taken to a hospital but he escaped to evade arrest. Police said the clashes, which broke out on April 16 last year, were “pre-planned” by seven-eight accused. “Salman was part of WhatsApp groups which were allegedly used by him and the other accused, Md Ansar, Tabrez Khan and Ishrafil, to mobilise people and influence them. Ansar is the main accused… Tabrez was seen attending peace committee meetings held by Delhi Police after the riots. He was arrested later. Ishrafil and his son are still on the run,” said a senior police officer. DCP (Northwest) Jitendra Meena said the accused wanted to become famous by showing “dominance” in the area through weapons and criminal activities. “We had questioned several accused and Salman’s name had cropped up; he was also seen in footage. We found he was among the main accused who were the conspirators and did all the planning. He and his associates collected stones and pelted stones and other objects at public persons, causing injuries to many,” said another officer. After the violence, Salman had allegedly fled to West Bengal where he met Ishrafi, said sources, adding that he frequently changed locations from Mumbai to Kolkata and other cities. He was not in touch with any of his family members during this time. DCP Meena said: “We received information from our local informers that Salman would be coming to Delhi to meet one of his friends on February 11. Our team laid traps in the area and arrested him from Mangal Bazaar, Mahendra Park.” Salman is accused of firing during the clashes and has been booked for attempted murder, causing hurt, rioting and other sections of the IPC. He was previously involved in two cases of attempted murder and a case of house theft. He was released on bail in 2021. More than 8-9 persons including a policeman were injured in the incident. Five of the accused – Ansar, Salim, Yunus, Dilshad and Ahir – have been booked under the stringent National Security Act. Police said they have now arrested more than 36 persons in the case and chargesheeted 27 people, including juveniles.
