The Delhi Police on Thursday opposed the bail petitions of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others in connection with the February 2020 riots in Delhi and referred to the November 10 deadly blast near the Red Fort metro station in the national capital, saying intellectuals become "terrorists and more dangerous" than those working on the ground.
The Delhi Police, which was represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, told the Supreme Court it has become a new trend for doctors and engineers to engage in anti-national activities, while also showing videos of Imam giving "inflammatory speeches" against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) before the 2020 riots in the city-state.
Here are five big points highlighted by the Delhi Police during the hearing in the top court:
- During the hearing, Raju said "intellectuals are many times more dangerous". "The real purpose of the protest was regime change, strangulated the economic welfare, on a pan India basis. CAA protest was just a red herring," he said, as reported by Bar and Bench.
- Raju said the riots were planned in a way that it synchronises with Donald Trump's India visit so that it gets attention from international media. "Intellectuals when they come terrorists are more dangerous than ground level terrorists. These intellectuals are the real brains. This has been demonstrated in what happened in Lal Qila," he said.
- He also told the court that these activisits saw an opportunity in CAA to "garner support of the Muslims and mislead them". "He (Sharjeel Imam) says we will choke Delhi of the essential supplies. Economic security is also part of the UAPA act," he said.
- "He (Sharjeel Imam) talks about 370 in Kashmir, trying to provoke Muslims. He maligns the court. He talks about the Babri masjid, triple talaq. The ultimate aim is regime change," Bar and Bench quoted Raju as saying.
- Raju also pointed out that Imam is an engineering graduate, saying the activists "are not conducting their profession but indulging in anti-national activities".
The apex court will continue hearing the matter on Friday.
Khalid, Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, and Rehman were booked under the UAPA, the stringent anti-terror law, and provisions of the erstwhile IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The violence erupted during widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
