New Delhi: A day after Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava wrote back to veteran cop Julio Ribeiro assuring him that the investigation into the February riots in the national capital was being conducted without any discrimination, Ribeiro Wednesday hit back saying the commissioner did not explain the “license given to three BJP stalwarts”.
“There are doubts in my original open letter which you have not addressed. I realise that it is difficult, indeed impossible, to justify the license given to the three B.J.P. stalwarts I named — licence to rant, rave and threaten those who are peacefully protesting perceived wrongs,” Riberio has written in his mail to the Delhi police commissioner, released to the media.
“If the speakers were Muslims or Leftists the police would have surely taken them in for sedition!”, he further wrote.
Ribeiro had written to Shrivastava Sunday where he had questioned why BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma have not been brought in for questioning by the Delhi Police in connection with the riots.
Shrivastava, however, had written back to Ribeiro Tuesday defending the police’s action.
“It (police) has questioned persons without regard to their religion and party affiliation. It has collected documentary evidence, including scientific evidence, to support its case,” Shrivastava had written.
Ribeiro is a Padma Bhushan awardee who has served as the Mumbai police commissioner and subsequently the director general of Punjab and Gujarat, and also served as the Indian Ambassador to Romania.
‘Won’t prolong the case’
Ribeiro, however, wasn’t convinced with Shrivastava’s response.
“After talking to you on the phone and perusing your letter I have decided to put myself in your shoes,” Ribeiro wrote.
“How would I dispel the doubts that your retired brother officers still have about Delhi Police investigations in the N.E. Delhi riots? I would quickly file the chargesheets in all the 753 cases, including specially the conspiracy case registered by your Special Cell and get the evidence authenticated in a Court of law,” he added.
The retired IPS officer added that he “would not prolong the U.A.P.A case by arresting persons just a day or two before the time limit expires for filing the charge-sheet”.
‘Gandhians have lost favour with this regime’
In Ribeiro’s initial mail, he had referred to professor Apoorvanand and retired IAS officer Harsh Mander as “true patriots”.
However, in his reply, Shrivastava had said the Delhi Police is serving the Constitution “without fear of any self-proclaimed “true patriots” or favour towards any class, creed or community”.
The police commissioner had also said 1,571 people have been arrested in connection with the riots so far “almost equally distributed among both the communities”.
“I note in your e-mail to me that you have doubted the patriotism of the three who I named as ‘true patriots’,” Ribeiro wrote.
“Harsh and Apoorvanand are Gandhians. I should have remembered that Gandhians have lost favour with this regime,” he added.
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