Delhi riots bail hearing: OpIndia reports court video showing CCTV neutralised first

New Delhi: OpIndia editor Nupur J Sharma, who posts on X under the handle @UnSubtleDesi, on Friday shared two posts detailing what she described as developments in the Supreme Court bail hearing linked to the 2020 Delhi riots case, and an OpIndia reconstruction video based on the chargesheet.

In her post, Sharma wrote that the OpIndia reconstruction shows a first stage in which a “Muslim mob” starts covering or breaking CCTV cameras. 

She said this process takes about 45 minutes and spans an area of around 4 km. Sharma added that as the first group moves along covering cameras, another mob follows, disconnecting cameras that could not be covered by cutting wires. Once the cameras are covered, broken, or disconnected, she wrote, the violence begins. 

This, she said, is the stage where Head Constable Ratan Lal was lynched. Sharma also pointed out that the footage of the violence is from mobile phone cameras rather than CCTV because the cameras had already been disabled.

Few things to be noticed in this video:

1. The first stage - the Muslim mob starts covering or breaking cameras. It takes them about 45 minutes. This was done through an area of about 4 KMS.

2. As they move along covering cameras, another mob follows them, disconnecting the… https://t.co/4ER1jW6Y53

— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) November 21, 2025

In her original post, Sharma said the video feed of the bail hearing in the Supreme Court was disrupted, but OpIndia’s reporter informed her that Additional Solicitor General S V Raju played a video showing how cameras were disrupted, how the mob was mobilised, and how CCTV was diverted right before the first attack. 

Sharma described the footage as shocking and said it showed a coordinated and planned manner in which mobs covered, broke, or disrupted CCTV. 

She added that the visuals also showed one of the crucial UAPA accused, who is also a petitioner seeking bail along with Sharjeel Imam and others. 

Sharma said OpIndia reconstructed this video using the same elements from the chargesheet.

The video attached to the quoted post is a 4 minute 28 second OpIndia reconstruction based on the 2020 Delhi riots chargesheet. 

It is a highly edited montage combining animated maps, timelines, labelled diagrams, and CCTV clips to present a chronological sequence in the Chand Bagh area.

The opening section is titled “Animated Display of Planned Mobilisation for Riots at Chand Bagh.” 

It shows a top down map of the area with a route spanning about 4 km. Red dots and arrows indicate camera locations along roads such as Main Road, Gali No. 2, and E Block in Chand Bagh. 

A timeline bar scrolls events from around 12 noon onward on February 24, 2020. 

Split screen panels pair CCTV feeds of streets where crowds are gathering with animated map segments labelled “Mobilisation of Crowd.” Clips show groups of 10 to 20 people moving along narrow lanes, some carrying sticks or objects, converging toward camera poles and junctions. On screen notes indicate the “Start of Covering Cameras.”

The middle section focuses on “Dislocation of Cameras” in Gali No. 2 and E Block. Composite panels show multiple CCTV clips side by side, each matched with map segments and timestamps. 

The sequence shows initial disruptions beginning around 12:23 pm. Individuals and small groups approach camera poles, with some clips showing lenses being covered, after which feeds go black or blurry. 

As the timeline progresses through roughly 12:30 pm to 12:45 pm, the visuals show more cameras being broken or disconnected, including by cutting wires. The maps update with red X marks across the camera points along the 4 km stretch, presenting the disabling of cameras as completed in about 45 minutes. 

Crowds are shown growing in size and moving in waves through the lanes as the camera network is taken out.

In the closing section, after the cameras are shown as disrupted, the reconstruction switches to mobile phone footage. These clips show large crowds clashing on the streets, with people running and throwing stones amid smoke. 

A segment labelled “Brutal Attack on HC Ratan Lal” highlights a group surrounding and assaulting him. 

The reconstruction ends with a recap map showing the route with camera points marked as disconnected by around 1:08 pm, linking the camera disruption to the escalation into violence.