Updated: September 12, 2020 11:08:34 pm
The names appeared on a supplemental charge sheet filed by police on the riots in the northeast district between February 23 and 26, which claimed 53 lives and left 581 injured. (Express file photo)
Delhi police appointed CPI (M) Secretary General Sitaram Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, economist Jayati Ghosh and University of Delhi professor Apoorvanand on a supplemental charge sheet in the February riots cases, accusing them of “provoking and mobilizing” anti-CAA. protesters.
Some of those named have also been charged – based on the statements of three students already arrested in the case – asking protesters to go to “any extreme”, spreading “discontent” in the community by calling CAA / NRC anti-Muslim, and organize demonstrations to “smear the image of the Government of India.”
Their names appeared on the supplemental charge sheet, a copy of which is in the PTI, presented by the police on the riots in the Northeast District between February 23 and 26, which claimed 53 lives and left 581 injured, 97 of them with gunshot wounds. .
After repeated attempts at his comments, Yogendra Yadav said: “I realize that the passing reference to me does not even contain a sentence from my speech. I am surprised that the Delhi police have made no effort to view the recording of my speeches, all of which are in the public domain. “
These eminent personalities have been named based on the statements of the three students – members of the women’s collective Pinjra Tod and JNU students Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, and Gulfisha Fathima of Jamia Milia Islamia – in the violence of Jafrabad, from where the riots spread elsewhere. northeast of Delhi. All three face charges under various sections of the Illicit Activity (Prevention) Act.
In the charge sheet, which was released just two days before the start of the monsoon parliament session, Delhi police have claimed that Kalita and Narwal admitted not only their complicity in the unrest, but also named Ghosh , Apoorvanand and the documentarian Rahul. Roy as their mentors, who allegedly asked them to carry out protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and go to “any lengths”.
Their similarly worded disclosure statements, mentioned in the charge sheet, claimed that the two JNU students said they organized the Daryaganj protest in December and the Jafrafad chakka jam (road block) against the CAA on February 22, 2020 at the behest of Ghosh. Apoorvanand and Roy.
In reaction to the charge sheet, Yechury attacked the government through a series of tweets.
“The Delhi Police report to the Center and the Ministry of the Interior. Their illegitimate and illegal actions are a direct result of the policies of the top leaders of the BJP. They are afraid of the legitimate peaceful protests of the main political parties and are misusing state power to attack the opposition, ”he said.
In another tweet, Yechury asked why the “hate speech” made during the riots was not investigated.
“There is a video of poisonous speeches, why are they not processed? Because the government has ordered an end to the opposition, in any way. This is Modi’s and BJP’s real face, character, tricks, and thinking. There will be opposition, ”he said.
Delhi Police Additional PRO Anil Mittal said: “The names are part of the disclosure statement of one of the defendants regarding the organization and handling of the protests against the CAA. The disclosure statement has been truthfully recorded as narrated by the accused person. A person is not prosecuted as a defendant solely on the basis of a disclosure statement. “
“However, it is only on the existence of sufficient corroborating evidence that further legal action is taken. The matter is currently subjudicial, “he said.
Kalita and Narwal also told police that Ghosh, Apoorvanand and Roy coordinated with the Islamist group Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Jamia Coordination Committee to guide members of Pinjra Tod to carry out their campaign against the CAA, according to the charge sheet. .
The police have used the statement of Fathima, Jamia’s student, to corroborate subsequent events.
The charge sheet states that apart from Yechury and Yogendra Yadav, Fathima’s statement mentions Bhim’s army chief Chandrashekhar Ravan, United Against Hate activist Umar Khalid, and some leaders of the Muslim community, including the former -MLA Mateen Ahmed and MLA Amannatullah Khan.
The document, citing statements from the detainees, indicated that these people assisted the conspirators. In his statement, Fathima said he was told to organize the protest to “smear the image of the Government of India,” police said.
In his statement, included in the charge sheet, he says that “great leaders and lawyers began to arrive to provoke and mobilize this crowd, including Omar Khalid, Chandrashekhar Ravan, Yogendar Yadav, Sitaram Yechury and lawyer Mahmood Pracha, etc.” .
“Pracha said that the demonstration is his democratic right and the rest of the leaders filled the feeling of discontent in the community by calling the CAA / NRC anti-Muslim,” he said, according to the charge sheet. According to the charge sheet, Kalita added, Umar Khalid had also given some advice for making a protest against CAA / NRC.
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