Former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader and United Against Hate activist Umar Khalid has been arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the violence in North East Delhi in February, under draconian UAPA.
The recent action was taken amid allegations from politicians and activists that the police have been targeting the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for mobilising peaceful anti-government protests, starting December 2019.
Khalid was summoned on Saturday and On Sunday, he arrived around 1 pm and was questioned during the day before being arrested in the midnight.
Khalid who was arrested after 11 hours of interrogation, will be produced before a Delhi court on Monday.
According to Hindustan Times, “Khalid was one of the main conspirators of riots in which 53 persons died and over 400 were injured,” special cell of Delhi Police said after the arrest.
Umar Khalid was booked under draconian UAPA in April by Delhi Police Special Cell in connection with the northeast Delhi violence and three months later on 1 August, Delhi Police had questioned Khalid. Police had also seized Umar’s mobile phone at the time.
At a press conference on September 4, Khalid had said about Delhi Police probe into the NE Delhi violance that there is an attempt to rewrite history of the past six months in front of our eyes and give it an official stamp.
The northeast Delhi violence is widely acknowledged to have been sparked by incendiary comments made by Kapil Mishra, a BJP leader, about Muslims peacefully protesting against ‘anti-Muslim and unconstitutional’ citizenship law. Video evidence and witness accounts pointed to police allowing Hindu mobs to roam the streets freely to target the Muslim community.
