Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Wednesday said that the Delhi violence that broke out in February was a “big conspiracy” to disturb the country, but security forces played a significant part in “suppressing the elements that spread anarchy”, according to PTI.

The Union minister made the remarks while addressing the Rapid Action Force or RAF troops on its 28th anniversary at a Central Reserve Police Force camp in Gurugram. The Rapid Action Force is a specialised wing of the CRPF and was raised in 1992.

Rai, who reviewed a parade of the RAF personnel, said that the force had completely defeated the designs of the rioters to disturb the peace of the country. “You suffer damage and injury during riots and protests...but you use force only when violent groups start troubling the peace of society,” he added. The RAF personnel were deployed during the Delhi riots.

The Union minister also said that maintaining peace and internal security were two very important factors for the development of a country. He praised the CRPF personnel for killing commanders of militants and terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley and said the troops defeated Pakistan-sponsored activities in the area.

Clashes had broken out between the supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing it between February 23 and 26 in North East Delhi, killing 53 people and injuring hundreds.

The police claim that the violence was part of a larger conspiracy to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and was hatched by those who organised the protests against the amended Citizenship Act. They further claimed the protestors had secessionist motives and were using “the facade of civil disobedience” to destabilise the government. The police have arrested several activists and students based on these “conspiracy” charges.

The police have been accused of either inaction or complicity in some instances of violence, mostly in Muslim neighbourhoods. However, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava defended the force against the charges of bias and said that the police did not differentiate a complainant on the basis of caste or religion and claimed that a false narrative of “bias and insensitivity” was being weaved by certain groups with vested interests.

The police have named 15 people as accused in a 17,000-page-long chargesheet. All accused have been charged under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act. Suspended Aam Aadmi Party Councillor Tahir Hussain has been named in the chargesheet. Pinjra Tod members Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Millia Islamia students Asif Iqbal Tanha, Meeran Haider and Safoora Zargar, United Against Hate co-founder Khalid Saifi and former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan are among the others named by the police.