Police Questions Umar Khalid Over NE Delhi Violence, Seizes Phone

File image of Umar Khalid.

(Photo: The Quint)

Delhi Police questioned former JNU student and activist Umar Khalid over the violence in Northeast Delhi in February, officials said on Saturday, 1 August.

Umar Khalid issued a statement on his Facebook account mentioning that certain media outlets “misreported” about what happened while he was questioned.

“My "Amravati speech" for instance was never discussed unlike how it has been reported in some media channels,” the statement added.

India Today reported that Khalid was questioned on Friday about his speeches delivered before the riots and his meeting in Shaheen Bagh with Khalid Saifi and Tahir Hussain ahead of the violence. According to the report, his phone has been seized. This is the first time that the former JNU student is being questioned for his alleged role in the riots.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had added the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to the FIR related to Northeast Delhi violence which named Khalid, among others. In the FIR, the police had claimed that the communal violence was a “premeditated conspiracy” which was allegedly hatched by Khalid and two others.

The FIR alleged that Khalid had allegedly given provocative speeches at two different places and appealed to the citizens to come out on streets and block the roads during the visit of US President Donald Trump to spread propaganda at the international level about how minorities in India are being persecuted.

(With inputs from PTI and India Today.)