Northeast Delhi riots: Police arrest former JNU student Umar Khalid

New Delhi, Sep 14: Umar Khalid, a former student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been arrested in connection with the northeast Delhi riots case.

Former JNU student Umar Khalid arrested in Delhi riots case | Oneindia News

The special cell of the Delhi Police which is probing the case is also looking into the larger conspiracy angle. 53 persons had died in the riots that took place in February.

Khalid has been interrogated twice for his alleged role in the riots. He was called in for questioning on Sunday. An officer who did not wish to be named told OneIndia that the police arrested him on Sunday night. Investigation is on and we cannot reveal anything further at this stage, the officer also said.

The police had told a court last month that Khalid along with other accused, former AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain and activist Khalid Saifi had hatched a conspiracy to orchestrate the riots just before the visit of US President Donald Trump in February.

Recently the Delhi Police had filed two chargesheets against Hussain. The two chargesheets were filed in connection with two separate incidents of violence. The first related to arson and rioting at a parking lot in Chand Bagh, while the second related to arson and robbery at godown in Karawal Nagar. Along with his Hussain, his brother, Shah Alam and 10 others have been charged.

Earlier the police had said that Hussain instigated the mob into killing IB staffer, Ankit Sharma as he was trying to pacify the mobs of both sides.

It may be recalled that during the riots, Sharma had gone missing on February 25. His body was recovered from a drain in the Chand Bagh the next day.

The chargesheet described the killing as cold blooded. It said that there were 51 injuries on Sharma's body and he was brutally killed. Hussain had gathered a mob based on religious sentiments and had also provided to logistic support to the rioters, whom he knew before hand.

Citing witnesses, the chargesheet said that Hussain led the mob at Chand Bagh. The witnesses also told the police Hussain was very much present at his house, from where the mob was pelting stones. Hussain also provoked the mob based on religious sentiments and he was urging the mob against the Hindus/Kafirs to kill them, the chargesheet also said.

Sharma on the other hand was trying to pacify both sides. However a mob of 25 equipped with rods, knives and stones attacked him.

He was attacked after being instigated by Hussain. Sharma was dragged to the Chand Bagh areas and was beaten to death. The mob also inflicted injuries with knives, thus causing his death in a brutal fashion, the chargesheet further said.

The chargesheet also said that Hussain had said a month before the riots that something big would happen.

Be prepared for something big when Donald Trump visits India, suspended AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain had said at a January meeting, a good one month before the northeast Delhi riots.

The chargesheet against Hussain says that on January 8, a month before the riots, the suspended councillor had met with former JNU student, Umar Khalid at Shaheen Bagh, where the anti citizenship law protests were being held.

Hussain also met with Khalid Saifi of the United Against Hate at Shaheen Bagh and said that be prepared for something big or riots at the time of Trump's visit to India. During hiss questioning, Hussain said that Saifi had given him money for the preparations. This was given from the account of the companies that he owned and an amount of Rs 1.10 crore was transferred to fake companies in the second week of January.

The amount was later received by him in cash, following a chain of transactions, after which the preparations began, the chargesheet, while citing Hussain's questioning and call records also stated.

Hussain is then alleged to have distributed cash among the protestors and he further told his supporters to prepare for the big action. It was during this time that Hussain got wind of the pro-citizenship law protests. He went to the Khajuri Khas police station and got his licensed pistol released. He is alleged to have said that this he did to teach them a lesson.