Delhi riots case: Former JNU student Umar Khalid arrested under UAPA
Umar Khalid was earlier questioned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on September 2 in connection with the northeast Delhi riots.
by Moneycontrol NewsFormer JNU student leader Umar Khalid was arrested by Delhi police late night on September 13 for his alleged role in the north-east Delhi riots. Khalid, who was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), will be produced before a Delhi court on September 14.
A special cell of the Delhi police arrested Khalid after interrogating him for 11 hours, news agency PTI reported, quoting sources. He was earlier questioned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on September 2 in connection with the northeast Delhi riots.
Communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against the legislation spiralled out of control, claiming at least 53 lives. In their attempt to prevent violence, 108 police personnel were injured and two died.
"After 11 hours of interrogation, the Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested Umar Khalid as a "conspirator" in the Delhi Riots case. The fairytale narrative that DP has been spinning criminalising protests in the garb of investigating riots, find yet another victim. The fight against draconian CAA and UAPA will go on despite all these horrid measures of intimidation," United Against Hate, an activist group whose member is Umar Khalid, said in a statement.
The Delhi Police said it was investigating the role of all individuals who allegedly took part in the riots and were part of a larger conspiracy in organising violence in the northeast Delhi and inciting communal passion and hatred amongst communities, an official statement stated.
The Delhi Police on September 12 named CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, economist Jayati Ghosh, Delhi University professor and activist Apoorvanand, documentary filmmaker Rahul Roy, among others as co-conspirators in the February Delhi riots.
The names appeared in a supplementary charge sheet, filed by the police on the riots in North-East District.
The chargesheet claims that apart from Yechury and Yogendra Yadav, Fathima’s statement mentions Bhim Army chief Chandrasekhar, Khalid and some leaders from the Muslim community such as ex-MLA Mateen Ahmed, and MLA Amannatullah Khan. The document claims they aided the conspirators of the violence.
So far, police have arrested 1,575 people in 751 cases. Over 250 chargesheets have been filed in the riots related cases in which 1,153 accused have been charge-sheeted.