A Delhi Court has admitted the charge-sheets filed by the Delhi Police against the 15 accused in the Delhi riots. In its charge-sheet, the Delhi police had alleged that the anti-Hindu Delhi riots that took place in February were the result of a pre-planned conspiracy.
Earlier, the Delhi Police had filed charge-sheet before the Delhi court in connection with the riots case. The Delhi police had invoked various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) along with the Indian Penal Code in the case. The case emanates from FIR No. 59, which was lodged by Delhi Police’s Crime Branch on March 6, 2020.
According to the reports, Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat has now directed Delhi Police to supply copies of the charge-sheet filed on Wednesday to the accused persons. The court will now take up the hearing of the case from September 21.
The Delhi Police has named 15 prime accused in the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots case that includes former Aam Aadmi Party leader Tahir Hussain, former Congress leader Ishrat Jahan, self-proclaimed activist Khalid Saifi, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar and Meeran Haider.
Far-left ‘activists’ and members of Pinjra Tod members – Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal have also been named in the charge-sheet along with Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) student Asif Iqbal Tanha.
The other names in the Delhi Police charge-sheet are Mohd Parvez Ahmed, Mohd Illyas, Shahdab Ahmed, Tasleem Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Mohd Saleem Khan and Athar Khan.
The Delhi Police had filed over 750 FIRs in connection with the Delhi riots cases against offences such as giving communally insinuating speeches, creating religious hatred, looting, arson, destroying public and private property, causing injury and murder among others.
The police said it has produced a chronology of conspiracy and relevant events in its charge-sheet. “The evidence include WhatsApp chats of February 24, the time when riots were happening. At that point, key conspirators were guiding their foot shoulders about violence in the area. The key conspirators were directly in touch with their foot shoulders,” the Delhi police reportedly said.
Charge-sheet emanates from FIR-59 filed by Delhi Police
The charge-sheet filed by the Delhi Police reportedly emanates from the FIR No. 59, which is considered to be one of the most crucial piece in the entire Delhi Police investigation into the riots.
In the FIR, the Delhi Police had alleged that the communal riot was a pre-planned and the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) prior to that had created a communally-charged atmosphere that led to the communal clashes in February.
The Delhi Police has arrested over 20 accused persons including former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and Jamia Millia Islamia students in this particular case on the charges of instigating Muslim mobs to unleash terror on the streets of the national capital.
Notorious radical Islamist and far-left ‘activist’ Umar Khalid is one of the most recent arrests in this case. Earlier, the Delhi Police had arrested Jamia Co-ordination Committee member Safoora Zargar in the case but was granted bail under compassionate grounds by the Delhi High Court.
Safoora Zargar is accused of instigated a Muslim mob near Chand Bagh area that attacked Delhi police personnel leading to the death of police constable Ratan Lal.
Umar Khalid and his friends plotted the anti-Hindu riots in Delhi, says charge-sheet
The charge-sheet had stated that the conspiracy to cause communal riots was hatched by Umar Khalid and his friends during the visit of United States President Donald Trump to India. The FIR has alleged that the firearms, petrol bombs, acid-stone-slingshots, and other dangerous articles were gathered at various places in North-East Delhi.
The Delhi Police, in its charge-sheet, had said that on February 23, 2020, as a per pre-planned conspiracy, many children and women were instigated to block the Jaffrabad metro station to create communal tension in the area. According to the police, this resulted in a clash at the metro station, which then led other Muslim mobs to riot across other parts of the city.
In the charge-sheet, the Delhi police has revealed that on January 8, Aam Aadmi Party leader Tahir Hussain had met Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi at Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest. During such meetings, Umar Khalid had reportedly assured logistical support to the mob through his PFI contacts, the police said.
