Speeches of Umar, Sharjeel created fear: Delhi police to HC
Speeches by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others created a sense of fear after a common reference to CAA-NRC, Babri mosque, triple talaq and Kashmir, police argued before the Delhi High Court on Thursday.
Opposing their bail pleas before Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur, police made its submissions in the UAPA case related to the violence which took place in northeast Delhi in February 2020.
"Speeches by Meeran (Haider), Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi and Umar Khalid show a common pattern.. All are on identical lines. They create a sense of fear in the people hearing them..(by talking about) CAA-NRC, Babri, triple talaq and Kashmir," said special public prosecutor Amit Prasad.
He said aside from the speeches, Umar Khalid gave an "objectionable speech in Amravati" which was made "viral" at the relevant time.
He accused Umar Khalid of deliberately travelling outside Delhi at the time when violence erupted in the capital to evade any responsibility.
"There was a concerted plan to remain outside Delhi.. When violence broke out, there was immediate reaction," he said.
Khalid, Imam and others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the violence, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.
The violence erupted during the protests against the CAA and NRC.
While challenging the trial court orders refusing bail, Khalid and others cited their long incarceration and parity with other co-accused who were granted bail.
SPP Prasad also referred to the statements of several protected witnesses to establish the accused persons were not "innocent bystanders" who merely organised protest sites, but planned to cause violence through WhatsApp groups, resulting in registration of 751 FIRs related to the riots.precedent.
