Delhi Police have filed yet another supplementary charge sheet against Dr. Umar Khalid in its ongoing investigations into the North East Delhi communal violence of February 2020. The Delhi Police’s 930-page chargesheet cites Khalid’s trip to Patna as a part of a ‘conspiracy’, reports The Indian Express. The report cites sources saying that according to the Delhi Police, Umar Khalid left the city “during the visit of US President Donald Trump on February 23 for Patna and came back on February 27.” This has been stated by the Delhi Police Special Cell in a supplementary chargesheet filed on Sunday before a Delhi court in connection with the Northeast Delhi riots reported IE.
According to the report, this chargesheet names Khalid, JNU student Sharjeel Imam and one Faizan Khan, a ‘SIM card provider’ in a “conspiracy” case related to the riots. The charge sheet was filed before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat against Khalid, Imam and Khan, who was on bail, under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). All of them have also been accused of “rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy, murder, promoting enmity on grounds of religion, language, caste, etc” and other sections of the IPC reported IE.
The 930-page chargesheet stated that as part of the conspiracy, Khalid left the city during the visit of US President Donald Trump on February 23 for Patna and came back on February 27.
According to IE the police registered an FIR against Khalid on March 6 based on information provided by an informer to sub-inspector Arvind Kumar of the narcotics unit of the Crime Branch. According to the FIR, Kumar stated the informer told him that the Northeast Delhi riots in February were part of a “premeditated conspiracy” allegedly hatched by Khalid, one Danish, and two others associated with different organisations. That FIR states: “Khalid allegedly gave provocative speeches at two different places and appealed to the citizens to come out on the streets and block the roads during the visit of US President Donald Trump to spread propaganda at the international level about how minorities in India are being persecuted.”
Kumar has alleged in the FIR that as part of the conspiracy, ‘firearms, petrol bombs, acid bottles, and stones were stored at homes in Kardampuri, Jafrabad, Chand Bagh, Gokulpuri, Shiv Vihar and nearby areas’. Delhi Police in their charge sheet also alleged that suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain met with Khalid and Khalid Saifi of ‘United Against Hate’ at Shaheen Bagh, where they “hatched conspiracy for riots at the time of Trump’s visit.”
The man identified as Faizan Khan has been accused of providing and activating a SIM card, which was “used by the Jamia Coordination Committee, a group of students and activists which protested against the new citizenship law”. The IE reported that as per police, “the SIM card was activated on the demand of Jamia Millia Islamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha, who is also an accused in the case and it was issued on the basis of forged documents.” Umar Khalid was arrested in connection with the riots in Khajuri Khas on October 1, while he was in judicial custody in another case related to an alleged conspiracy in the violence.
Recently, the Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi Government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, had sanctioned the Delhi Police to prosecute Umar Khalid under the stringent anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on Friday. A Delhi government officer had told the media that they had “given prosecution sanction in all the Delhi riots related cases registered by the police. Now, it is up to the courts to see who are the accused.” Union Ministry of Home Affairs, had also sanctioned Delhi Police, which works under it, to probe allegations against Umar Khalid, a former JNU scholar and student leader, under the anti-terror UAPA. It was after these prosecution sanctions against Khalid were received that the Delhi Police named Khalid in their supplementary charge sheet.
These sanctions are a legal requirement, stated news reports, before an individual can be prosecuted under UAPA. “To prosecute one under section 13 of the UAPA, we need sanction from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which we have already received. For prosecution under section — 16,17 and 18 of the UAPA, we have received sanction from the Delhi government,” the officer was quoted.
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