Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid was arrested late on Sunday by the Delhi Police Special Cell and booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for alleged conspiracy role in the riots that broke out in north-east neighborhoods of the national capital in February this year over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Umar Khalid was earlier charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in another case related to the riots. His mobile phone has been seized by the police, news agency PTI reported. In April, the former JNU student was charged under the UAPA in another case related to the violence. He was accused of instigating the violence by allegedly making provocative speeches.
As per the reports by The Indian Express, Umar Khalid was summoned on Saturday and asked to join the investigation on Sunday at the Special Cell office in Lodhi Colony. “He had earlier been questioned on July 31, when his phone was seized. On Sunday, he arrived around 1 pm and was questioned during the day before being arrested in the evening,” a police source said.
The Delhi Police claimed to have found “crucial evidence”, including Khalid’s movement during the riots, after interrogating him a about meeting members of ‘United Against Hate’ groups and the Popular Front of India.
In February of this year, during the visit of US President Donald Trump, clashes had broken out between supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing it in North East Delhi in February, killing 53 people and injuring hundreds. The violence was the worst Delhi saw since the anti-Sikh violence of 1984.
The Delhi Police is likely to file a charge sheet against him in the coming days, the source said. He will be produced before a Delhi court on Monday.