Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid was arrested under the Illicit Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA for his alleged role in the Delhi riots.
After 11 hours of questioning, the Delhi Police Special Cell charged the activist with “sedition and 18 other sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder and attempted murder.”
A Delhi court ordered him in pre-trial detention for 10 days.
“There was nothing objectionable in his speeches,” said Khalid’s attorney, Trideep Pais. “Opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not a crime.”
A day after his arrest, Times Now trembled with the hashtag #UmarLobbySecretTape on the daily show ‘India Upfront’ where the channel claimed: “Chat exposes ‘radicals’ allegedly linked to Umar Khalid.”
Host Rahul Shivshankar said the “activist lobby” admitted in a “private talk” that Khalid is aligned with a “dangerous” organization. The group he refers to is the Popular Front of India (PFI), which has been accused of allegedly inciting and financing the unrest.
Shivshankar accused Khalid of “radicalizing Muslims.” The channel later played a video of a conference call on Zoom that it claimed was a “leaked private chat” between left-wing activists. The indicator above the video said: “Damn admission tape.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTtNnPlyDAA
The “evidence” video plays right after Shivshankar’s passionate monologue on the “anti-national” activities promoted by the “Lutyens Left lobby” to save Umar Khalid.
The group call begins with Bengaluru activist Zia Nomani saying: “I would like to inform you about the emergence of another right-wing organization that is working with Muslims here in Bangalore. I am sure everyone must be very concerned about what is happening in Bangalore and the narrative that is being established due to the unfortunate incidents. But what we are missing is the right-wing rise of the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) and the PFI … Now we could have differences and we can debate whether these organizations should be banned or not, but they definitely should be. prosecuted for radicalization of youth… Now Prashant Bhushan is a founder of Swaraj India and was unfairly punished for contempt. But that doesn’t mean I’m talking about setting the Supreme Court on fire. SDPI says if things don’t happen [in your way], take matters into your own hands through violent measures … SDPI and PFI must be countered. “
SDPI is the political team of the PFI.
Activist and journalist Teesta Setalvad responds to Nomani saying: “I admire your honesty and integrity, but I just want to add two points … As long as such a trend develops among Muslims, we cannot [counter it] bitterly … I’ll just say this for now that SDPI and PFI are still problematic for people like us – Communalism Combats, CJP, Sabrang India – we have taken a public position not to share a platform with them. People who consider themselves on the left should also oppose them. “
The rest of the conversation continues to address the dangers of such organizations.
“Bystanders, if it is necessary to counter SDPI and PFI, why defend someone who is supposedly linked to SDPI and PFI? Today Umar Khalid is accused of collaborating with PFI to burn Delhi, that’s what the police say and Swaraj India and all other activists from the left stand up for Umar Khalid. Can you believe this? “- Shivshankar questioned.
Old public chat cast as “private”
The chat Times Now claims its “security agencies” secured is nothing more than a webinar conducted on August 16 by civil rights activists. Zoom’s call was uploaded as a Facebook Live video by Pedestrian Pictures and described as “Claiming freedom of speech and freedom in times of intensified state aggression and repression.”
The webinar was also announced on August 13 by Countercurrents.org and the next day by Pedestrian Pictures.
I’m sorry for disappointing you @TimesNow, your super exclusive #UmarLobbySecretTape is actually part of a public conversation
➡️ NOTHNG PRIVATE: The tape that you claimed was accessed by ‘Security Agencies’ was public and broadcast live on Facebook on August 16
▶ ️Link: https://t.co/R8UioE3QT6
– Swaraj India (@_SwarajIndia) September 14, 2020
Swaraj India also responded to Times Now on Twitter that the “super exclusive” #UmarLobbySecretTape is actually part of a “public conversation.” The party further said that Khalid has never partnered with SDPI and PFI.
The person who said: “We will react to hatred with love. When they threaten to beat us, we will hold up the tricolor flag. If they shoot us, we will embrace the Constitution.” – And the Antiterrorist law #UAPA is being used against you.#StandWithUmarKhalid
https://t.co/ziU0ETMfpA– Swaraj India (@_SwarajIndia) September 14, 2020
The multiple FIRs filed against Khalid accuse him of obtaining funds from PFI, a charge that his lawyer has vehemently denied and claims is “fabricated” and obtained “illegally through coercion.”
Times Now therefore took a video from Facebook Live and broadcast it on national television as a “secret” conversation between left-wing activists.
This article first appeared on Alternative news. You can read the original article here.
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