Delhi riots: ‘Govt must be shaken no matter how many Hindus killed’

New Delhi, Jan. 7 (IANS): “No matter how many houses need to be set on fire or Hindus killed, the government must be shaken at any cost,” former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain has said quoting Umar Khalid, in a disclosure statement in the supplementary charge sheet filed by Delhi Police against former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Khalid in the northeast Delhi riots case.

The disclosure statement forms part of a 55-page supplementary charge sheet filed against Khalid in the case related to communal violence in Khajuri Khas last February. The court had taken cognisance of the charge sheet on January 5, noting that there was sufficient material to proceed against him.

In the disclosure statement dated March 11, Tahir Hussain said that he was introduced to Umar Khalid on January 8 at Shaheen Bagh and during the meeting, the latter told him that the government will not listen to them unless they create a ruckus.

“No matter how many houses need to be set on fire or Hindus killed, the government must be shaken at any cost. Umar Khalid asked me not to worry about the finances. Our friends and Delhi PFI are providing monetary help in the mission. With the help of the money, prepare people for riots and also buy important material for it,” Hussain said in the statement, quoting Umar Khalid.

He added, “I called Gulfam, who lives in my area, and asked him to prepare some boys for the riots and asked him to buy arsenal. He told me that he has a licenced pistol. I gave him Rs 15,000 to buy bullets. After a few days, Gulfam told me that he had bought 100 cartridges.”

In February, another Delhi-riots accused Khalid Saifi apprised Hussain that Umar Khalid had told him that US President Donald Trump was to visit India that month. “Accordingly, they will spark riots as per the plan. Due to which the world’s attention will be on India, which will bring shame to Modi government worldwide. From February 23, we commenced riots in Delhi.”

According to the Indian Evidence Act, such confessions recorded by police officers are inadmissible as evidence. These statements can only be used to prove the contradictions and cannot be used against the accused in the criminal cases.

The Delhi Police had filed the supplementary charge sheet against Khalid in the case on December 26 last year. The main charge sheet was filed against 15 persons, including Hussain, in June. Khalid was arrested in the case in October.

While taking cognisance of the charge sheet on Tuesday, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dinesh Kumar said that there was reasonable ground to prima facie show that former JNU student Khalid, suspended AAP councillor Hussain and others conspired together during the northeast Delhi riots.

“It is alleged by the prosecution that he (Khalid) was an active participant in the criminal conspiracy to instigate communal riots in various parts of Delhi. Due to his instigation, a mob had gathered that robbed people and burnt down properties, including houses and shops. They also destroyed public property,” the judge noted.

Communal violence had broken out in northeast Delhi in February last year after clashes between protesters and supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.