Delhi riots case: Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid arrested

He was questioned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for a couple of hours on September 2 in connection with the riots.

NEW DELHI: The special cell of the Delhi Police on Sunday late night arrested the former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Umar Khalid on the charges of stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

He was arrested after 11 hours of interrogation.

He will be produced before a Delhi court on Monday, they said.

"Khalid was called for questioning on Sunday and arrested. His family was informed about his arrest," said sources in Delhi Police.

Khalid was questioned by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for a couple of hours on September 2 in connection with the riots.

He was earlier booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in another case related to the riots.

In April, his name figured in the FIR registered in connection with the northeast Delhi riots that broke out in February following a series of protests held in favour and against the contentious citizenship amendment act (CAA).

His mobile phone was also seized by the police.

In August also, he was summoned by the Special Cell and faced grilling for three hours.

Communal clashes had broken 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, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

In their attempt to prevent violence, 108 police personnel received injuries and two died.

The Delhi Police on Sunday 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.

According to the force, the Delhi Police has registered 751 FIRs in connection with communal riots that took place in the last week of February this year.

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As far as the investigation is concerned, Delhi Police has carried it out meticulously in the most professional manner, officials said.

After collecting and collating all evidences, the investigation has been finalised in most of the important cases and the charge sheets have been submitted in the court for trial, the police also said, adding the riots also caused large-scale damage to both private and public properties.

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.

(With PTI Inputs)