Delhi / Umar Khalid granted bail in connection with Northeast Delhi riots case

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to Umar Khalid, an ex-student leader of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), accused in a case of violence in north-east Delhi last year. The court said that Omar Khalid cannot be imprisoned in jail only for the fact that other people in the crowd are identified and arrested in the case.

Omar Khalid is accused of plotting these riots. Police had said that before the riots, on 8 January 2020, Khalid met Tahir Hussain and others in the Shaheen Bagh area to plot the riots. It was also planned to be prepared in advance for this. The Delhi Police arrested Khalid under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (UAPA) for playing an active role in the conspiracy of violence.

Significantly, after a clash between supporters and opponents of the citizenship law, on February 24 last year, communal riots broke out in North East Delhi's Jaffarabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Ghonda, Chandbagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar areas. At least 53 people were killed and more than 200 people were injured in the violence. At the same time, government and private properties were also severely damaged. The raging mob had burnt houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump including some schools and pelted stones at the local people and police personnel.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal, a resident of Sikar, Rajasthan, was shot dead during the violence in Gokalpuri on 24 February 2020 and several policemen including DCP and ACP were seriously injured. Also, after killing IB officer Ankit Sharma, his body was thrown into the drain.