New Delhi: A Delhi court has ordered a probe into a Delhi riots case that was shelved by the police despite the fact that video recordings were submitted against the accused as evidence by the complainant.Saleem from Yamuna Vihar had alleged that on February 24 – when communal violence was reported in many areas of northeast Delhi – his neighbours Subhash Tyagi and Ashok Tyagi opened fire and attacked his house, the Indian Express reported. He also alleged that another neighbour, Nasheer, was shot.Apart from them, Saleem also named three other people in his complaint – Naresh Tyagi, Uttam Tyagi and Supreme Maheshwari, who are also accused by the Delhi Police in the murder of one Parvez during the riots. According to Indian Express, which cited Saleem’s complaint, the men fired gunshots at his house, threw petrol bombs and pelted stones, following which no police personnel arrived at the spot even after asking for help.In fact, Saleem was arrested on March 19 after the police claimed that he himself was involved in the riots and filed a “false report” to hid his involvement. He is currently out on bail.Regarding Saleem’s complaint, the police said that “no cognizable offence was found to be made out” after a probe was conducted, and hence “no FIR was registered in the case”. Therefore, no inquiry was conducted.In his November 23 order, metropolitan magistrate Fahad Uddin ordered the police to register an FIR and conduct a ‘fair, independent and impartial’ trial.The court rejected the police’s claims that no cognizable offence could be made out, based on the evidence (video footage) available. It said it was of the view that a cognizable offence has been made out and the allegations filed in Saleem’s complaint need to be investigated. The court also cited the Evidence Act, saying that video footage was admissible evidence.The court mentioned, “The complainant also made a written complaint on March 1, with the SHO PS Jafrabad and further to DCP concerned on March 17 but no action has been taken… so far by the police.”Also read: Delhi Riots: ‘Is Police Inquiring Into a Conspiracy or Is the Inquiry Itself a Conspiracy?’Calling for an FIR to be registered in this case, the court said, “The allegations are serious in nature and pertain to the protection of the right to life and property of the complainant. The equal protections of the law cannot be denied to the complainant merely on account of registrations of certain FIRs against him, and on the assumption of the investigating officer that the complaint is false and made to save the complainant and that too without even registering an FIR and conducting an independent and impartial investigation into the allegations made by the complainant.”The court ordered station house officer (SHO) of the Jafrabad police station to register an FIR at the earliest and ensure a fair, independent and impartial investigation without delay. According to the Indian Express, the court also ordered the SHO to file a final report in this case.The court added that the deputy commissioner of police of northeast Delhi should monitor the probe.This is not the first time that courts have criticised the Delhi police’s investigation of the riots. An August 2020 order issued by the Delhi Police had asked police teams to proceed with caution while arresting Hindu accused of the February riots. This was later slammed by the high court.A report by the NGO Amnesty India also accused the police of serious rights violations during the Delhi riots. It cited a viral video in which Delhi police officers can be seen kicking and hitting a group of five wounded men, poking them with rifles, and asking them to sing the national anthem on February 24. The NGO’s report stated that one of the men in the video, 26-year-old Faizan, was allegedly detained by the police for close to 36 hours without any charge, and handed over to his mother two days later after his condition deteriorated. He later passed away, with the family blaming the police’s conduct for his death.