Delhi violence: Death toll climbs to 27, NSA Doval says 'everyone is safe here'

The widespread violence in northeast Delhi since Sunday has so far claimed 27 lives, including that of one police man and an Intelligence Bureau officer.

While Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday blamed "outsiders" for the violence, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who was tasked with bringing back normalcy, assured that the situation is under control, while placing the blame on “some criminals”.

Doval visited the affected areas—his second visit in 24 hours—and interacted with locals. In Jaffrabad, a young girl walked up to him and said she does not feel safe in the area. She also blamed the police for "inaction" when rioters went on a rampage.

"I give you my word. Everyone is safe here," Doval told her.

At some places, the NSA was greeted with slogans of 'Delhi Police zindabad' and 'Ajit Doval zindabad' as he pacified locals and urged them to maintain peace and harmony.

"The situation is under control and people are satisfied. We have confidence in law enforcement agencies. Police is doing their job and is alert," the NSA told media persons, adding, "Police is working hard. Only some criminals were involved in this. One should try resolving issues and not increasing them. There were incidents earlier but today it is calm. Locals want peace. We have full faith there will be peace."

"Inshallah yahan par bilkul aman hoga (If god wills, there will be peace and harmony here), " Doval said.

Later, the NSA briefed Home Minister Amit Shah about the law and order situation in the area and the steps taken to bring back normalcy, according to media reports.

CM Kejriwal, who also visited the violence-hit area, had said in the assembly that people from outside Delhi are responsible for the mayhem in the national capital. “Delhi’s people are peace-loving, everyone wants peace, nobody wants riots. We strive to make a better Delhi for our children. The common people of Delhi are not involved in the riots. People from outside Delhi, political elements, and miscreants are responsible for the rioting. It seems necessary that the Army should be called in to restore normalcy in Delhi,” the CM had said.

The arrests

The Delhi Police has arrested 106 people for their alleged involvement in the the violence and registered 18 FIRs. "No untoward incident was reported on Wednesday and PCR calls from North East Delhi have reduced," Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Mandeep Singh Randhawa told reporters.

Sufficient force was deployed in the area besides the additional paramilitary force. Senior officers were on the spot and closely monitoring the situation, he added. "Senior officers were monitoring the PCR calls and we received very less PCR calls today," Randhawa said.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari had defended the city police, saying it was working round-the-clock to provide security to people, even as he criticised Kejriwal for "questioning" the force's working.

US lawmakers express concern

Reacting to the violence, the US Foreign Affairs Committee said its Chairman Eliot Engel was "deeply troubled by the deaths from the communal violence in India." It said the right to protest is a key aspect in democracy, but they must remain peaceful and police must ensure the safety of all.

"I condemn attacks against Muslims in India, and reject violence, bigotry, and religious intolerance. The US State Department should too," Republican lawmaker Don Beyer tweeted.

US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said the "deadly surge of religious intolerance in India is horrifying". "Democracies should not tolerate division and discrimination or promote laws that undermine religious freedom," she tweeted, adding that the "world is watching".

(With PTI inputs)