North-East Delhi pogrom: Jamia PhD student sent to 3-day custody in riot conspiracy case despite lockdown

Continuing with the harassment of Jamia Millia Islamia students even during the lockdown, the Special Cell of Delhi Police has sent doctorate student Meeran Haider to three-day police custody in connection with the carnage in north-east Delhi overnight.

“Haider was produced by the police at court, which was sitting at the judge’s house. He has been sent to three days police custody. There was no reason given,” said Manoj K Jha, Rashtriya Janata Dal MP and spokesperson, who was present at court for Haider.

In a notice which was sent to Meeran, who is also the youth wing president of Rashtriya Janata Dal, on Tuesday, March 31, Special Cell Inspector Pramod Chauhan stated that he had to appear at its Lodhi Colony office on April 1, 2020, in connection with a case in which he wasn’t even named. Despite the lockdown, the police warned that if he did not appear, appropriate legal action would be taken.

Meeran was asked to appear in a case where former JNU student Umar Khalid and Danish, a Bhajanpura resident, have been named. The case, which was filed by Sub-Inspector Arvind Kumar, stated that Omar Khalid and activists of various organisations gave inciting speeches before the proposed visit of US President Donald Trump asking people to take to the street so as to give the impression that minorities are being suppressed and tormented in India. Moreover, Meeran didn’t know either of them well enough.

The FIR states that the carnage was well-thought out and the responsibility of ensuring that crowds, which included children, women and older people, collect in various parts of north-east Delhi such as Jaffarabad, Chandbagh, Kardampuri, Gokulpuri and Maujpur was entrusted to Khalid and Danish. According to the FIR, the schools where students of the minority community studied were vacated because this was a well-planned riot. They knew that the pogrom was bound to happen. The SI states that if the riot is probed in depth then the conspiracy and the criminals behind it can be found out.

The case has been filed under IPC 147 (whoever is guilty of rioting, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with a fine or both), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon and term will extend to three years), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly is guilty and is likely to be prosecuted for it) and 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy).

“What is ironic is that Meeran doesn’t know who Danish is and as far as Umar Khalid is concerned, Meeran was just acquainted with him and he wasn’t a friend. Several people know Umar Khalid as he is a prominent activist and that’s all Meeran knows too,” explained a friend, who did not want to be named.

Meeran appealed to the police that once the lockdown was lifted, he would go to the police station, but the police wasn’t willing to listen.

“He went with his cousins to the station and they thought that Haider would be left off after questioning at least by night. His cousins came back around 10.30 pm and he was still at the station. Meeran’s phone is still switched off and we have not been able to reach him. We heard that he has been sent to police custody. We are worried for his safety and well-being. He has no connection with this case, yet he has been detained. The police is targeting him,” added the friend.