Jahangirpuri violence: BJP asks N. Delhi mayor to bulldoze illegal 'structures' of rioters

The Hanuman Jayanti procession in Delhi's Jahangirpuri area witnessed violence in which eight policemen and a civilian were injured. Incidents of stone-pelting were also reported and a few vehicles were also damaged. Following the incident, the Bharatiya Janata Party has asked the administration to run bulldozers on illegal properties of rioters.

In a letter to North Delhi mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, the saffron party demanded action against the "illegal properties" of rioters in Jahangirpuri.

"You must be aware that a Shobha yatra procession on Hanuman Jayanti on April 16, 2022, was attacked by anti-social elements and rioters pelted stones. These anti-social elements and rioters are protected by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and lots of illegal structures have come up," the letter read.

"Hence, the illegal encroachment done by these rioters should be demolished using bulldozers and strict action should be taken against them," the letter added.

BJP, AAP cross swords over political affiliation of Jahangirpuri clash prime accused

The tussle between the BJP and the AAP over the political affiliation of one of the prime accused of the Jahangirpuri violence intensified on Tuesday, with both parties accusing each other of being linked to the violence accused.

AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Md Ansar, one of the 'masterminds' of the Hanuman Jayanti clashes, was an "active BJP leader". AAP MLA Atishi also shared pictures of Ansar wearing a saffron cap.

"The main accused in the Jahangirpuri riots, Ansar, is a BJP leader. He played a major role in getting BJP's candidate Sangeeta Bajaj contest elections, and he plays an active role in the BJP," Atishi tweeted in Hindi.

Countering the allegations, Delhi BJP media head Navin Kumar claimed that Arvind Kejriwal's party was "lying" to divert attention from the role of its party worker in the clashes. He also claimed that Ansar joined AAP in January 2020. Later, pictures of Ansar donning an AAP stole and cap emerged.