On Friday, January 29, while opposing the bail plea of Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots accused Umar Khalid before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad compared the planning of the February 2020 riots to that of the 9/11 terror attacks in the US.
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.
“Just before 9/11 happened when all people were involved, they reached a particular place and took training. A month prior to that, they moved to their respective positions. That is what is relevant in this case also,” Prasad told the court.
“The person who was behind 9/11 never visited the US. The conspiracy meeting happened in Malaysia. They were no WhatsApp chats available at the time. Today we have documents available that he was part of the group,” Prasad disposed before the court, adding that on February 17, there were indications of the protest turning violent. Such messages were sent in the group. Khalid was in the group, but he remained silent.
He also told the court that the objective of the 2020 anti-CAA protests was not CAA or NRC, but rather embarrassing the central government and drawing the attention of international media. “Issue was not CAA-NRC. The issue was you had to somehow embarrass the government. In the process of embarrassing the government, you take steps which will reflect in the international media,” SPP Prasad said.
Prosecutor points out the connection between Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam
While arguing before the court, the SSP also pointed out the connection between Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
He maintained that claiming there was no relationship between Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid is incorrect because they attended the same meeting. Prasad backed up his claim by sharing a photo of a meeting between the two at Jangpura.
“The first place for Chakka Jam was Jafrabad where Umar Khalid met Pinja Tod. The presence of these people was not natural,” he said.
Anti-CAA protest sites were deliberately picked close to 25 mosques and Madarsas
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’.
Delhi riot key conspirators were like entertainers who resorted to ‘damrubaazi’ to attract crowd: Delhi police said while opposing bail application of Umar Khalid
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, said Prasad while strongly opposing the bail application of Umar Khalid.
“When you do announcement from the masjid, you identify the place, you make sit-in protest, you… try to show a secular face by performing puja there and making a pandit give a speech. What is the activity you have done? You are creating protest sites in Muslim-dominating areas, in the poorest localities in Delhi, wanting to create a secular facade. When that message is going to the public at large, you want to change the narrative,” Prasad told the court.
Speaking about the anti-CAA protests, Prasad submitted before the court, “You bring in artists from outside, do this damrubaazi, it’s like a gathering when they get monkeys to dance, do some kind of activity and they (locals) will get attracted…They are not interested in your civil society or agenda-based protest. But at the same time, each one of us gets attracted to some entertainment.”
It may be noted that after hearing the arguments presented by the SSP, the Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat had said that the Court would continue hearing Umar Khalid’s bail plea in connection with Delhi Riots larger conspiracy case involving charges under IPC and UAPA Saturday, January 29.
Khalid and his role in Delhi Riots
Khalid was arrested by the police on September 14, 2020, and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a stringent anti-terror law, for allegedly masterminding the horrific Northeast Delhi riots which had left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. He was summoned by the police for investigation and was later arrested.
In a charge sheet filed by the Delhi police and admitted by the court, it is alleged that Khalid had hatched the conspiracy of the anti-Hindu Delhi riots along with his friends during the visit of US President Trump to India. Khalid had allegedly met the former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain and another accused Khalid Saifi to assure logistical support during the riots through his contacts in the PFI.