A Delhi Court today continued hearing Umar Khalid’s bail plea in connection with Delhi Riots larger conspiracy case involving charges under IPC and UAPA. Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, appearing on behalf of the Delhi police Wednesday, February 2, presented more evidence before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, to oppose the bail plea of Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots accused Umar Khalid.
The Prosecutor began today’s argument by presenting the excerpt of a meeting that was held in Chand Bagh on 15th and 16th January 2020. He said that as accounted by one of the witnesses, “Dande, Patthar, Lall Mirch, Tezaab ikkathey kiye gaye” (Sticks, Red Chilli, Acid and stones collected). The prosecutor, here, wondered what was the purpose to collect such things in a protest that the accused like Umar Khalid had termed ‘peaceful’. He further stated that the witness had revealed that the conspirators gathered ladies and gents who were handed over lathi’s, stones, gravel etc.
“Peaceful protest me lathi (sticks), dande (batons), aur laal mirch (red chilli)!! How peaceful can that be”, questioned Amit Prasad.
To substantiate claims that a larger conspiracy to cause communal riots was hatched by Umar Khalid, SSP Amit Prasad read out a statement of a witness who had confirmed that Umar Khalid during a meeting had said: “Sarkar musalmano ke khilaaf hai, bhashan se kaam nahi chalega, khoon bahana padega,” translated as (The government is against the Muslims, only talking is not enough, we will have to shed blood).
At a meeting @UmarKhalidJNU told Gul during a meeting “Sarkar musalmano ke khilaaf hai, bhashan se kaam nahi chalega, khoon bahana padega”: Prosecutor reads a statement by witness #Delhiriots pic.twitter.com/llJXLY8MWJ
— LawBeat (@LawBeatInd) February 2, 2022
Prasad further informed the court that various WhatsApp groups, including the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) and the Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG), were formed to coordinate information regarding protest places.
He went on to say that the Jamia Awareness Campaign Team was formed to raise awareness about the protest sites and mobilise individuals to participate in the plot.
Prasad further went on to share screenshots to show the messages in the Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG) group, exchanged on 16th and 17 February by one Owais Sultan Khan. “There is no mincing of words. ‘Your proposal to incite violence’ and local people have evidences. And these local people have now come up to support a case of Prosecution”, said SSP while he read some Whatsapp messages exchanged between the conspirators of the anti-Hindu Delhi riot.
“Aag lagwane ki poori tayyari hai” (We have everything we need to ignite a fire)”, read one message shared on the Whatsapp group which Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi and others part of DPSG were a part of.
Umar Khalid and others part of DPSG. On the group there is a message “Aag lagwane ki poori tayyari hai” (We are entirely ready to light a fire): Prosecutor #DelhiRiots pic.twitter.com/fumc5JWKWn
— LawBeat (@LawBeatInd) February 2, 2022
It may be recalled here that the Special Cell of the Delhi Police had in July 2020 unearthed a connection between hate preacher Zakir Naik and Khalid Saifi, a facilitator in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots. As per the status report filed, Saifi, a close associate of Islamists such as Tahir Hussain and Umar Khalid, had met Naik in Malaysia to raise funds for the Delhi anti-Hindu riots. In fact, the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police in connection with the anti-Hindu riots in Delhi in January 20201 mentioned the confession made by former AAP Councilor Tahir Hussain. The confessions had revealed the sinister agenda behind the conspiracy hatched by the Islamist along with his comrades Khalid Saifi and JNU ‘scholar’ Umar Khalid.
Further opposing Umar Khalid’s bail petition, SSP Amit Prasad told the city court that the 2020 North East Delhi riots were committed as part of a ‘conspiracy of silence,’ with the goal of utterly paralysing the system.
BJP Leader Kapil Mishra’s name was used by accused to build a narrative: SSP
Presenting his argument in front of Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, the prosecution further argued that BJP leader Kapil Mishra’s name was used by the accused to “build a narrative.”
Prasad read another message by Khalid Saifi on Whatsapp that said that there is a complaint that has been filed against BJP leader Kapil Mishra. The Prosecutor told the court that this was nothing but a way to deflect and put the blame on Mishra, whereas it was clear from chat logs that Jaffrabad violence was planned.
Prasad told the court, “There was a proposal to incite violence as on 17th February 2020 which is the time when you draw a narrative that Kapil Mishra came there…Where was Kapil Mishra then? He has not even surfaced anywhere and your proposal to incite violence has surfaced.”
Speaking of the riots in phases, the prosecution stated that the “first phase of rioting in late 2019 and January 2020 was a failure” and that the “second phase of riots in February 2020 was employed to carry out the plot.”
Further, referring to the charge sheet, the SPP argued, “People involved in both the phases were common… meetings which happened, Umar Khalid was sitting there with Sharjeel Imam. The presence of Sharjeel Imam was admitted in his own speech, Umar Khalid’s presence was there in the picture.”
Prosecutor draws parallel between 9/11 US terror attack and Delhi-riots to oppose bail plea of Umar Khalid
The prosecutor representing the Delhi Police had earlier on January 29, Friday compared the planning of the February 2020 riots to that of the 9/11 terror attacks in the US while opposing former JNU student Umar Khalid’s bail plea.
To counter Umar Khalid’s claim that he only sent five messages on a WhatsApp group and was not present at the site, Amit Prasad, appearing for the Delhi police, cited the example of the 9/11 terror attack in the USA. Prasad stated, citing the chargesheet, that Khalid and others were remotely supervising the protest sites, akin to the 9/11 conspirators who never visited the United States.
The prosecution had also told the court that organizers of anti-CAA protests allegedly built 25 protest locations near madarsas and mosques, but gave them a different name to give it a ‘secular facade’.
The anti-CAA protesters’ key conspirators were like entertainers who resorted to “damrubaazi,” organising protests across Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods and using poor people as cannon fodder, Prasad had said while strongly opposing the bail application of Umar Khalid.
