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Delhi Court Convicts Five in Bhajanpura Petrol Pump Violence
A Delhi court found five people guilty for taking part in violence at a petrol pump in 2020.
The court said a large crowd gathered there and later became violent.
Police officers said the crowd threw stones, damaged property, and attacked them.
Eight witnesses gave evidence that the court considered reliable.
Five of those witnesses were police officers.
The court said the five defendants were members of an unlawful assembly.
It convicted them of rioting and obstructing or using force against public servants.
However, the court did not agree that the petrol pump itself was set on fire.
The court is expected to decide their sentences on September 16, 2026.
A Delhi court convicted five accused over violence at Bhajanpura petrol pump on February 24, 2020.
The convictions cover rioting and using force or obstruction against police officials performing their duties.
The court accepted testimony from eight prosecution witnesses, including five police witnesses who identified the accused.
It found that a mob of 100-150 people gathered while protesting and raising slogans against the CAA and NRC.
The court rejected the allegation that the mob set the petrol pump on fire, citing evidentiary inconsistencies and gaps.
- Who
- A Delhi court convicted Arif Malik, Mohd. Khalid, Abdul Sattar, Tanveer Ali, and Hunain.
- What
- The five were convicted of rioting and using force or obstructing police officials during violence at the Bhajanpura petrol pump.
- Where
- Bhajanpura Petrol Pump, Delhi.
- When
- The violence occurred on February 24, 2020; the judgment was reported as being delivered on September 9, and sentencing is scheduled for September 16, 2026.
- Why
- The court found that the accused belonged to an unlawful assembly that used violence against police and damaged property while protesting and raising slogans against the CAA and NRC.
Prosecution and Court Findings
Defense Position and Rejected Allegation
Presence and identification of the accused
Prosecution and Court Findings
The prosecution relied on police and other witnesses who said the five accused were present in the mob. The court found the police witnesses credible and mutually corroborative.
Defense Position and Rejected Allegation
The defense argued that the police witnesses were not present at the petrol pump and had not seen the incident or the accused. The court rejected this position.
Character of the gathering
Prosecution and Court Findings
The court found that the 100-150-person gathering became an unlawful assembly with a common object of rioting, arson, criminal mischief, and vandalism.
Defense Position and Rejected Allegation
The defense challenged the prosecution evidence, but the court said cross-examination had not significantly undermined the witnesses' credibility.
Whether the petrol pump was set on fire
Prosecution and Court Findings
The prosecution alleged that the mob set vehicles on fire and included the petrol pump in its account of the violence.
Defense Position and Rejected Allegation
The court did not accept that the petrol pump itself was set on fire, finding inconsistencies and evidentiary gaps on that specific allegation.
Key facts
- Incident date
- February 24, 2020
- Location
- Bhajanpura Petrol Pump, Delhi
- Number convicted
- Five
- Crowd size cited by court
- At least 100-150 people
- Evidence relied upon
- Testimonies from eight prosecution witnesses, including five police witnesses
- Convictions
- Rioting, assaulting or obstructing public servants, voluntary obstruction, and using criminal force against public servants
- Sentencing date
- September 16, 2026
- Fire allegation
- The court did not accept the allegation that the petrol pump was set on fire, citing inconsistencies and gaps in the evidence
Quotes
Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh
Judge who presided over the Delhi court proceedings
“Apart from the general and bald suggestions, put to only some of them, that they were not present at Bhajanpura Petrol Pump at the time of the incident, or that they had not seen the incident or the accused, nothing could be brought out during the cross-examination of these police witnesses that would significantly dent their credibility.”
opindia.com
“In view of the above findings, I find that prosecution, beyond all reasonable doubts, has proved that the accused had committed offences punishable u/s 147 IPC r/w section 149 IPC; u/s 152 IPC r/w section 149 IPC; u/s 186 IPC r/w section 149 IPC and u/s 353 IPC r/w section 149 IPC”
opindia.com
Sources
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