Delhi riots: Court sends Umar Khalid to judicial custody till 22 October in UAPA case

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday sent former JNU student leader Umar Khalid , arrested under the stringent anti-terror law in a case related to the communal violence in north east Delhi in February, to judicial custody till 22 October. Khalid was present before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat through video conferencing at the end of his police custody. Khalid was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on 13 September in the case. Police did not seek his further custody. In the FIR, police has claimed that the communal violence was a “premeditated conspiracy” which was allegedly hatched by Khalid and two others. He has also been booked for the offences of sedition, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and rioting. The FIR alleged that Khalid had given provocative speeches at two different places and appealed to the citizens to come out on streets and block the roads during the visit of US President Donald Trump to spread propaganda at international level about how minorities in India are being tortured. In this conspiracy, firearms, petrol bombs, acid bottles and stones were collected at numerous homes, the FIR claimed. Co-accused Danish was allegedly given the responsibility to gather people from two different places to take part in the riots, police alleged. Women and children were made to block the roads under the Jafrabad metro station on 23 February to create tension amidst the neighborhood people, the FIR said. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on 24 February after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.