New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will pronounce its verdict on the bail plea of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid on Tuesday. Khalid is in jail under UAPA for more than two years (September 2020) on charges of plotting the February 2020 riots in North East Delhi. On September 9, Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Rajneesh Bhatnagar reserved their verdict on Khalid's plea.
Khalid has argued that he has no criminal role in the anti-Hindu violence that erupted in North East Delhi nor is he connected with the other accused in the conspiracy to riot. He has said that the prosecution has no evidence to substantiate his case and that his February 2020 speech in Amaravati was not inciting violence and he has not led violence anywhere. At the same time, Amit Prasad, Special Public Prosecutor on behalf of Delhi Police, has opposed Khalid's bail plea, saying that his speech was very measured and he spoke about Babri Masjid, triple talaq, Kashmir, alleged persecution of Muslims, amended citizenship act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Delhi Police has told the court that the riots took place in two phases, first in 2019 and then in February 2020. The police claim that during the riots fake and misleading information was spread, roads were blocked, police and paramilitary forces were attacked and violence targeted non-Muslim areas. 53 people lost their lives and more than 200 were injured in these riots.
A Delhi court has framed charges against former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain, his brother Shah Alam and four others in a case of anti-Hindu riots of 2020. The court said that the mob had deliberately hatched a conspiracy to kill Hindus and damage their property. The court has said that 'The indiscriminate firing on others shows that this mob intentionally wanted to kill Hindus. It cannot be said that the accused persons were unaware of the motive of this mob. Clearly, it was an illegal assembly, working for the same purpose (killing of Hindus).' The court observed that 'It is also very clear that this mob was continuously indulging in firing, pelting stones and pelting petrol bombs on Hindus and their houses. These acts of the mob suggest that their motive was to harm the Hindus and their property.' Apart from this, Tahir Hussain himself has also admitted that the purpose of the violence was to teach Hindus a lesson.
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