Delhi Police has revealed the names and addresses of 15 protected witnesses in the chargesheet they submitted in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act case registered in connection with the Delhi riots that broke out in February. Police said the act was “inadvertent”.
Delhi Police Spokesperson said: “During the course of investigation, it was deemed necessary that the identities of some witnesses should not be disclosed in the public domain. However, a court-related document containing the identities of some of these witnesses has been inadvertently included in the copies of the chargesheet provided to the accused persons as part of compliance of judicial orders.”
Ensure safety
Police further said that the witnesses are court-protected and steps are being taken to ensure the safety and security of these witnesses and “to address all concerns in this regard”.
Special Cell had submitted the chargesheet in court in the third week of September, which was further submitted to accused’s lawyers a few days later.
The document on 15 public witnesses, including four Hindus and 11 Muslims, mentions their names along with addresses against their pseudonym and dates on which their statements were recorded before the police and the magistrate. The pseudonyms given include Omega, Victor, Charlie, Gama, Delta, Echo among others. The document also states that the identities of these public witnesses be concealed during the proceedings of the case.
The 17,000 page chargesheet divided into different folders was filed against 15 persons. For six persons who were charged under the UAPA, including Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, a supplementary chargesheet will be filed in due course.
