NEW DELHI: A day-long programme was organised at the Indian Law Institute on 21 February 2026 by the Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA) to mark six years of the 2020 Delhi riots and to examine them through the lens of regime change attempts and information warfare.
The event brought together a distinguished panel of experts, including retired ambassadors, former bureaucrats, senior police officials, lawyers, and public intellectuals, to unpack various dimensions of the Delhi riots.
Former Police Commissioner SN Srivastava described the Delhi riots as part of a broader global pattern where riots are used as instruments of regime change. He elaborated on the operational challenges faced by the police, noting that in Delhi, rioters allegedly anticipated and sought to provoke police excesses in order to escalate protests — drawing parallels with developments in Bangladesh and Nepal.
Former RAW Chief Sanjiv Tripathi discussed the concept of fifth-generation information warfare, highlighting how riots can function as tools within modern hybrid conflicts that combine narrative-building, psychological operations, and strategic misinformation.
Ambassador Veena Sikri spoke about the Bangladesh model, emphasising that control over the narrative often determines the political outcome of such events. She underscored how perception management and international messaging play a crucial role in shaping domestic and global responses.
Convener of GIA Monika Arora explained that the Delhi riots represented what she described as an “experiment” with the objective of regime destabilisation. She stressed the need for continued scholarly engagement and public awareness to understand the structural and informational dimensions of such events.
Prominent citizen Chander Wadhawan spoke on analysing the role of the “deep state” and its possible implications in shaping political unrest.
The programme concluded with a collective resolve that the Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA) will continue its efforts to promote public awareness, research, and informed discourse on the Delhi riots and related issues of national importance.
