The Delhi Police special cell on Sunday night arrested former JNU student leader Umar Khalid under the stringent UAPA for his alleged role in the Delhi riots, reported The Hindu.
Khalid’s father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, who is also the National President of the Welfare Party of India, announced his son’s arrest on Twitter late Sunday night.
“My son Umar Khalid has been arrested tonight at 11:00 pm by Special Cell, Delhi Police under UAPA. Police was questioning him since 1:00 pm. He has been implicated in Delhi Riots. #StandWithUmarKhalid,” he wrote.
A senior police officer confirmed that Umar was called for questioning at Special Cell office on Sunday after which he was formally arrested. “His parents have been informed about the development,” he said.
The officer claimed that Khalid, a former student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, was one of the key conspirators of the riots that took place in the city’s northeast in February. His name has also emerged in riots investigation done by the crime branch.
Khalid was questioned for nearly 11 hours on Sunday and booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, officials said. Earlier on July 31, he was questioned by Delhi Police for over three hours. While his phone was seized, he was later released.
Police had in March registered a case against Khalid and others, accusing them of being part of a “premeditated conspiracy” to foment trouble in north-east Delhi.
The FIR had claimed that the former Jawaharlal Nehru University student gave provocative speeches asking people to block traffic during the visit of United States President Donald Trump to attract the international community’s attention.
A chargesheet filed against AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, who was earlier arrested in the riots case, had claimed that he had met with Khalid. According to the claims in the chargesheet, Khalid had spoken about action during Trump’s India visit.
Investigators had claimed that Khalid through an organisation United Against Hate had organised meetings against CAA, NRC and prompted activists to go hammer and tongs against the government.
Activists have been accusing the Delhi Police of targeting anti-CAA protesters and linking them to the Delhi riots while ignoring acts of hate speech by BJP and Hindutva leaders, which instigated communal violence.
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