Delhi riots case: Umar Khalid claims police singled him out

Activist Umar Khalid on Thursday alleged before a Delhi court that the police had singled him out as an accused in the 2020 Delhi riots larger conspiracy case while several others with “bigger roles were not made an accused”, The Hindu reported.

Khalid’s lawyer made the submission before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of the Karkardooma Courts while opposing the framing of charges against the activist.

Khalid was arrested in September 2020 in connection with the clashes that broke out in North East Delhi in February 2020 between supporters of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing it. The riots left 53 people dead. Most of those killed were Muslims.

Khalid and several other activists have been booked for offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, the Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and the Arms Act.

The Delhi Police claim that the violence was part of a larger conspiracy to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and was planned by those who organised the protests, including Khalid, against the amended Citizenship Act.

Advocate Trideep Pais, representing Khalid, was quoted by Live Law as having contended that although several persons were “identically situated” with respect to the violence, Khalid was the one against whom the police made allegations.

In the chargesheet, the police alleged that Khalid “coalesced a coalition of...

Read more

News