India News | 2020 Delhi Riots: Police Trying to Communalise Case, Accused Tells Court

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) Activist Khalid Saif, accused in a case related to the larger conspiracy in northeast Delhi violence in 2020, on Wednesday told a court here that Delhi police was attempting to communalise the matter.

He made the submissions through his counsel before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, who reserved the order on his bail application.

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Senior Advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Saifi, told the court that the evidence produced by the Delhi police did not add up as it was based on conjectures and surmises.

The senior advocate referred to the submission made by the prosecution that protest was communal, was not organic and it was a conspiracy of silence.

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“My friend (public prosecutor) said protests were communal, not organic. Let us assume, even if it was not organic. Protests are organised. So what? Prosecution has sought to communalise this case. One community (was) affected by this bill (Citizenship (Amendment) Act). It is their right to protest.

“Why is prosecution attempting to communalize the narrative? Don't lay the narrative on one community. Don't brush aside the actions of Delhi Police, that too apparent from a reading of this WhatsApp group,” the counsel said.

She referred to a message which read Delhi Police breaking public cameras to avoid accountability.

“But no investigation was made into this,” she said.

John further submitted that the prosecution was relying on some chats in the Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG).

She shared the screenshot of a message sent by Khalid Saifi in the group which read, 'open, clear, inaction of police for the violence. The CM must be held accountable for the same. Protest must be held outside his residence.'

“How this incriminates me (Saifi) beats my reasoning or imagination. I own the message,” she said.

The court, meanwhile, adjourned the arguments on the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid for Friday on a plea by his counsel.

She further submitted that none of the ingredients under section 15 ( terrorist act) and section 17 ( terror funding) UAPA, levelled against Saifi, were met.

Even for Section 18 (conspiracy to commit Terrorist Act) of UAPA were not satisfied, the counsel said.

Saifi, along with several others, has been booked under the anti-terror law in the case for being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The violence had erupted during the protests against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens.

Besides him, former JNU student leader Umar Khalid, JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and several others have also been booked under the stringent law in the case

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)