On April 9, Delhi’s Karkardooma Court heard the bail application of Umar Khalid, who stands accused in connection with the 2020 Anti-Hindu Riots. Throughout the hearing, the prosecution underscored Khalid’s associations with contentious news platforms such as ‘The Wire’ and ‘Alt-News’, as well as his interactions with controversial figures like Swara Bhasker, Sushant Singh, Pooja Bhatt, and others.
Opposing the bail plea, the Delhi Police said that Khalid put a “larger conspiracy” at play, citing his conversations with influential individuals possessing significant social media followings.
Umar Khalid stands accused of being part of a larger conspiracy related to the 2020 northeast Delhi communal riots, with charges filed against him under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Arguments against Khalid’s bail were presented on April 9 and 10 before Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai.
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad asserted that Umar Khalid’s mobile phone data indicated communication with actors, politicians, activists, and celebrities, wherein he allegedly forwarded links from certain news portals critical of the Delhi Police.
In the course of the arguments, the prosecution highlighted that Umar Khalid’s cellphone data indicated a pattern of shaping media and social media narratives. The prosecution cited various celebrities and activists who had been in communication with Khalid. Notably, Khalid frequently shared reports from propaganda outlets like The Wire, The Quint, and others with them to influence narratives on social media, and many of these reports were subsequently shared by the mentioned celebrities and activists.
The prosecution highlighted WhatsApp messages between Umar and Jignesh Mevani, noting that Khalid had shared a link to a report by The Wire with Jignesh and asked him to share it on Twitter.
They also presented a conversation between Yogendra Yadav and Khalid, in which Yadav confirmed he had tweeted as per Umar’s request.
CITES CHAT BETWEEN UMAR AND YOGENDRA YADAV about Dr Kafeed case – #FreeDrKafeel hashtag.
Yadav confirms that he had tweeted on Umar’z instructions
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) April 9, 2024
Khalid forwarded the same message advocating for “#FreeDrKafeel” to Pooja Bhatt.
Additionally, Khalid shared an article from The Quint with Karand and Sushant, which Sushant subsequently shared on Twitter.
PP reads out chats between Umar and Sushant Singh. He talks about the Quint report shared. Sushant shared the Quint report on instruction of Umar.
“Umar uses people like Pooja Bhatt, Sushant, Yogendra etc to create media narrative” – PP
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) April 9, 2024
Within the “Hum Bharat Ke Log” group, Khalid suggested scheduling protests after a Supreme Court hearing and encouraged issuing an official statement on the arrest of Jamia students. He also urged members to utilise specific hashtags for social media posts to gain traction.
PP talks about Umar chats in WA group “Hum Bharat Ke Log”.
Umar had told the team that they will “strategize” after SC hearing. He says before the second date of SC hearing, they will mobilize protest
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) April 9, 2024
In May 2020, Khalid sought Rasika’s assistance in amplifying social media posts.
He shared a link with Sanjukta and asked her to promote a report by The Quint where Zuckerberg criticised Kapil Mishra.
Regarding Kafeel Khan, Khalid informed Swara that Kolkata Park Circus Shaheen Bagh wished for her participation.
UMAR MESSAGES WITH SWARA BHASKAR READ OUT
The messages were about Kafeel Khan.
Further, Umar told Swara that Kolkata Park Circus Shaheen Bagh wanted Swara to join them
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) April 9, 2024
Khalid also communicated with the Alt News team. Though Alt News asked to quote him, Khalid declined, and Alt News complied.
Alt news asks if they can quote Umar Khalid. Umar Khalid said he didn’t want to be quoted. So AltNews complied
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) April 9, 2024
The prosecution additionally mentioned chats with Harjit Singh Bhatti and Shal Mali. Bhatti was assured that Khalid Saifi would be admitted to AIIMS, and Anu Chenoy facilitated contact between Shal and Khalid.
The prosecution pointed out how Khalid used the media to circulate his messages. He said, “Umar Khalid wrote the letter to the Delhi commissioner. He gave it to the media. The media published it, and then the articles were circulated internally. This is what is called procuring witnesses.”
The prosecution proceeded to present an interview featuring Khalid’s father conducted by The Wire’s Arfa Sherwani, aiming to demonstrate Khalid’s alleged deceit and narrative manipulation. In the interview, Arfa discussed Khalid’s bail situation and the withdrawal of his father’s petition from the Supreme Court.
She questioned Khalid’s father about the denial of bail and his trust in the judiciary. Ilyas, Khalid’s father, reflected on the frustration caused by 14 adjournments and the deliberate delays in proceedings. Notably, the defence had previously refrained from informing the court about Khalid’s father’s past association as an ex-SIMI member.
Arfa can be heard talking about how Umar is not getting bail and how his father’s petition has been withdrawn from the SC. Arfa asks SQR about why he didn’t get bail and if he still trusts judiciary
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) April 9, 2024
On April 10, the SPP remarked that while Umar Khalid was out of jail, he utilised influential individuals to shape a narrative favourable to him. However, now that he is incarcerated, others are poisoning the narrative on social media and in the press to sway the judicial process in his case.
The prosecutor cited several names such as Teesta Setalvad, Aakar Patel, Amnesty International, Azhar Khan, Kaushik Raj, and Swati Chaturvedi, who have been involved in crafting the narrative. The prosecutor added that these individuals and organisations promote hashtags in Khalid’s support and present a distorted version of the case.
Umar Khalid has remained in jail as an undertrial since his arrest by the Delhi Police on September 14, 2020, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the alleged broader conspiracy behind the February 2020 Delhi riots.
Khalid, along with several others, faces charges under the UAPA and various sections of the Indian Penal Code for purportedly being the “masterminds” behind the February 2020 riots, which resulted in 53 deaths and over 700 injuries.
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