New Delhi: A Delhi court has sent a student of Jamia Milia Islamia, arrested for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to incite communal riots in northeast Delhi, to three days police custody, said a lawyer.
Meeran Haider (35), a PhD student at Jamia, is the president of RJD youth wing”s Delhi unit.
Metropolitan Magistrate Prabhjeet Kaur sent Haider for custodial interrogation after the police said it was required to unearth larger conspiracy in the case related to the recent communal violence in north east Delhi over the Citizenship Amendment Act, said the lawyer privy to the matter.
Rajya Sabha MP and RJD leader Manoj Jha had tweeted, “Delhi Police called him for investigation and then received orders from above and arrested Meeran Haider, who has been helping people during the time of coronavirus outbreak.”
Chhatra RJD unit of JNU had also demanded the release of Haider and said the police should become ”people-friendly” and not scare people.
The Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), a group comprising students and alumni from the varsity, had condemned the arrest and demanded his immediate release.
“The country is facing a massive health crisis, however, the state machinery is busy harassing and framing student activists in false cases to suppress voices of dissent,” they said.
The JCC said Haider was diligently working to provide ration to the needy during the lockdown.
Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.
Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at residents and police personnel.
Also read: Delhi riots neither designed by Modi govt, nor Islamic conspiracy. It’s far more dangerous
He may be currently distributing rations, but that cannot absolve him of any mischief done earlier. His arrest shows that inspite of pressure on the police in managing the health crisis, they are investigating the riots in a focused manner.
Let the police do their duty without political interference. It is the political support these anti social elements are getting has embolden them and the country and society at large is suffering.