India scrambles to restore confidence as death toll mounts
Questions raised over why it took 3 days for violence to be subdued
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An Indian riot police officer standing guard at an area that was affected by deadly clashes in New Delhi yesterday. More than three dozen were killed and over 200 injured in fighting that broke out between supporters and opponents of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act in the Indian capital.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval usually deals with defence policy and international affairs.
Yet, the powerful official has been hitting the streets of riot-torn parts of the Indian capital city in a public outreach, interacting with locals and assuring them of protection following mounting criticism that the government had failed to contain violence in Delhi.
"Whatever is happening, we are not able to sleep and we are not feeling safe," a young woman wearing a hijab told him on Wednesday evening.
Mr Doval, surrounded by television cameras, assured her that the people's safety was the responsibility of the government and police.
"I give you my word of honour."
Still, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government grappled with the aftershocks of the Delhi riots and the death toll rose to at least 38, many questions were being raised about why it took three days for the violence to be brought under control and whether communal tensions will be further fanned by the developments.
Opposition parties blamed the federal government, which controls the police and law and order in the capital city, while the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accused opposition parties of politicising the riots.
"We called upon the President to suggest to him that what has happened in the last four days in Delhi is a matter of great concern and a matter of national shame," said former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who was part of a delegation of Congress party leaders that met President Ram Nath Kovind yesterday.
"It is a reflection of the total failure of the central (federal) government to control the situation."
The violence in the north-eastern part of Delhi broke out after a clash between those supporting and those opposing the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, which provides citizenship to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The Act, which the government said is for persecuted minorities, has triggered nationwide protests.
The Delhi riots, however, turned communal, leading to over 200 people being injured in clashes between Hindus and Muslims.
Eyewitness accounts also detail how Hindu mobs stopped people to demand to know their religion, and beat up reporters who were documenting the violence.
Those killed include both Hindus and Muslims, ranging from a driver with the intelligence bureau to a rickshaw puller and those working for small businesses.
The developments in Delhi received global focus as violence broke out during the high-profile visit of United States President Donald Trump, who said it was for India to deal with the violence and had expressed admiration for Mr Modi and his statements on religious freedom.
"Even though it wasn't the whole of Delhi that was burning, the picture of violence is far more evocative than the picture of tranquillity," said political analyst Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay. "So much violence (in the capital city) would likely have an impact on investors. It does impact the image of Mr Modi (internationally)."
There were calls for India to protect its minorities in particular.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a US government commission, urged the Indian government to "take serious efforts to protect Muslims and others targeted by the mob violence".
India's Ministry of External Affairs slammed this statement as "factually inaccurate and misleading, and appear to be aimed at politicising the issue".
"Our law enforcement agencies are working on the ground to prevent violence and ensure restoration of confidence and normalcy," said ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar, noting that Mr Modi had appealed for calm.
There were reports of sporadic incidents of violence in the riot-affected areas even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a compensation of one million rupees (S$19,500) for the families of those killed in the riots while urging strict action against those responsible for the violence.
"People responsible for violence in north-east Delhi should not be spared, even if they are from my own party," said Mr Kejriwal.
