Delhi riots: Bail plea of man accused of rioting, damaging CCTV cameras dismissed

File pic: Zee News

New Delhi: A Delhi court has dismissed the bail application of a man arrested for allegedly rioting, vandalising public and private properties and damaging CCTV cameras installed at Braham Puri during the communal violence in northeast Delhi in February.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Purushottam Pathak dismissed the bail plea of 26-year-old Rohit, saying CCTV footage prima facie showed that he was an active member of the unlawful assembly.

"Applicant/accused (Rohit) was an active member of the unlawful assembly as the same is prima facie evidence from the CCTV footage in which he is having a 'danda' (club) in his hand and on having apprehension of being captured in CCTV footage, he damaged the CCTV camera installed at Gali number 2, Braham Puri, Delhi," the court said in its order passed on August 19.

The court further said Rohit was also identified by Constable Deepak from the CCTV footage.

"The investigation is at the initial stage as the applicant (Rohit) has been arrested only on August 11. Other absconding co-accused persons are yet to be arrested. Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, particularly active involvement of the applicant/accused in the present incident, I do not find any ground to enlarge him on bail," the judge said.

During the hearing held through video-conferencing, Special Public Prosecutor Salim Ahmad, appearing for the state, opposed the bail application saying he was allegedly found involved in vandalising, rioting, looting, and arsoning of shops and houses in the area.

The public prosecutor further argued that in the CCTV footage, Rohit allegedly had a stick in his hand and was seen breaking the cameras installed by the Public Works Department in the area.

Counsel for Rohit argued that he has not been named in the FIR and falsely implicated in the case.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between those opposing the citizenship amendment law and those supporting it spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.