‘Riot accused shared common object of unlawful assembly’

First convict in communal violence case was involved in Bhagirathi Vihar attack

In the first conviction in the 2020 Delhi riots cases, a local court has noted that even though the evidence did not point to the accused entering and vandalising the complainant’s house, the fact that he, armed with a wooden rod, was present in the mob which resorted to violence against Muslims, “indicates that he shared the common object of the unlawful assembly”.

The order convicting Dinesh Yadav alias Michael, which was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat on Monday, was made available on Tuesday. Seven public witnesses (PWs) deposed before the court.

In its order, the court noted that the statements of two public witnesses clearly indicated that the accused was part of an unlawful assembly of 200-300 rioters on February 25, which indulged in large-scale riots in the E-Block of Chaman Park in Bhagirathi Vihar.