Delhi Police sought 10-day custody of Umar Khalid, court reserves order

The Delhi Police had sought a 10-day long custody of former JNU student and activist Umar Khalid, who was arrested under UAPA charges on Sunday, alleging he had a role in organising the Delhi riots. Umar, who was summoned by the police on Saturday, was produced before a Delhi court on Monday. The court has currently reserved its order.

Umar's lawyer Trideep Pais, opposed the activist's remand and said that he was not in Delhi during the riots. He added that Umar's previous speeches were only about peace and that he had cooperated with the investigation. "Opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act is no crime," he added.

Pais also said that there is no basis for 10-day custody and that a frenzy is being created against Umar. He also drew attention to an incident in 2018, where there was an attempt to murder Umar, who is also the co-founder of student group Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students' Organisation.

The arrest is believed to be based on the account of a Crime Branch SI named Arvind Kumar. Kumar had previously reported that one of his informers had told him that the riots were a result of a pre-planned conspiracy hatched by Umar and his accomplices from different organisations.