Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan has taken to Twitter to criticise the Delhi police for arresting far-left group Pinjra Tod activist Devangana Kalita for the third time in a row. Sharing an article by the leftist propaganda media outlet, The Wire, Prashant Bhushan wrote: Dalla Police! Dil ki police? implicating that the “Dalla” (pimps) Delhi police are using their free will to do what they wish to.
Devangana Kalita has been booked under a fresh FIR (No. 250/19), charged with unlawful assembly and rioting at Daryaganj on December 20. She was arrested on May 30 (Saturday) by the Delhi crime branch and taken into police custody for three days at Daryaganj Police Station.
Pinjra Tod activists arrested in North-East Delhi riot case
Kalita was earlier arrested, along with fellow student Natasha Narwal, on May 23 for her presence at the Jaffrabad anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protest and subsequently released on bail. Both the women are founding members of Pinjra Tod, which was established in 2015.
After being granted bail, she was re-arrested by the Delhi police in a separate case related to the violence that broke out in Delhi. The duo, Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita were rearrested by the Crime Branch and sent to two-days police custody.
It was found that on February 22 evening Pinjra Tod members had mobilised local residents for protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and directed them to gather at Jaffrabad metro station.
Pinjra Tod has been accused of inciting riots
Some citizens of Seelampur, Jafrabad, and Trans-Yamuna had accused Pinjra Tod, a far-left women rights initiative, and other elite civil society groups of inciting riots in the national capital.
Pinjra Tod claims to be an autonomous collective of women students fighting for a just, accessible, non-discriminatory University and affordable accommodation and has been involved in numerous protests and campaigns of a far-left nature.
Delhi Police sent notice to Pinjra tod
Earlier, Delhi Police special cell had issued notice to 50 members of the Jamia coordination committee, former office bearers of Congress’ student’s union, National Student union of India, far left ‘activist’ group Pinjra Tod for their alleged connection with rioting and criminal conspiracy pertaining to anti-Hindu riots in north-east Delhi that had claimed the lives of 53 people and had left, over 400 injured.
It was earlier reported that police believed that Pinjra Tod activists were present in the Seelampur-Jafrabad area on February 22 evening and urged the anti-CAA protesters at the dharna site and other nearby areas to make their anti-CAA protest more impactful by creating a roadblock at the Jafrabad Metro station road. According to the report, it was this event that finally led to a show of strength from the other side and eventually, led to the Delhi riots.
