Delhi riots: Court summons all 15 accused booked for 'conspiracy' case on Sep 21

A day after Delhi police filed a 17,000-page charge sheet in connection to Delhi riots, a Delhi court on Thursday, directed all accused to appear before it on September 21 which is the next date of hearing. The Delhi police filed the first charge sheet probing into the 'conspiracy' which led to the Delhi riots, as claimed by Delhi police. The 15 accused named in the charge sheet are booked under the stringent  Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and various sections of IPC.

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Delhi riots conspiracy chargesheet

Comprising mainly of anti-CAA protestors, Delhi police has charged 'United Against Hate' chief Khalid Saifi, Congress ex-councillor Ishrat Jahan, ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain; RJD youth wing’s Meeran Haider, Pinjda Tod activists Gulfisha Fatima, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita. Six other accused like - Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Danish, Parvez, Ilyas and Faizal Khan have been arrested but not named in the chargesheet. The Delhi police informed that it has listed 747 witnesses and recorded 51 people's statements, as per reports.

It added that investigation was mainly done based on call detail records and WhatsApp messages of the mentioned individuals, claiming that the blocking of traffic by anti-CAA was the 'first indication of a conspiracy'. Moreover, Delhi Commissioner S N Shrivastava has claimed that they had not found any proof yet of the involvement of pro-CAA-NRC protesters in the riots, when asked about BJP leader Kapil Mishra's inflammatory speech, according to PTI. Reiterating that its investigation was based on facts, Delhi police has rubbished former IPS officer Julio Ribeiro’s recent letter who had questioned the police's investigation in the Delhi riots. 

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Delhi police gets 10-day custody of Umar Khalid

Earlier on Monday,  ex-JNU student leader Umar Khalid was remanded to 10-day custody of the Delhi police after being arrested on Sunday night and interrogated for 15 hours. Khalid has been arrested after he allegedly met with suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and Saifi on January 8 to allegedly 'hatch a conspiracy' during Trump's visit to India. Delhi police have arrested 1,571 people in connection to the riots till date.

In the meeting, Hussain was reportedly asked to prepare for something big at the time of US President Donald Trump's visit to India. The chargesheet accused Saifi of giving him some money for the preparations, naming him as one of the persons responsible for organizing the riots in Delhi's Khureji area. On July 5, sources reported that Saifi had allegedly met controversial Islamic preacher - Zakir Naik in Malaysia after analysing his passport and travel details.

Delhi riots: Umar Khalid remanded to 10-day police custody in UAPA case

Delhi riots

Clashes began between CAA supporters and anti-CAA groups in Northeast Delhi on February 23, as both camps resorted to stone-pelting after Shaheen Bagh-like protests started in Jaffrabad and Chand Bagh. The situation deteriorated even as Delhi Police was present at the spot as houses, shops, and buses were burnt. While the Home Minister reviewed the situation on February 24  and 35 - while US President Donald Trump visited India, the violence increased killing 53 and injuring over 200, as per official figures.

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