E-Paper
Court seeks police response on plea of Pinjra members
New Delhi:
New Delhi:
A Delhi court on Thursday sought the response of Delhi police on a plea by Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita -- members of Pinjra Tod who have been arrested for their alleged role in the north-east Delhi riots -- who moved an application seeking a court-monitored probe in the matter being investigated by the Special Cell.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana granted time to the Investigating officer (IO) to file a reply to the plea moved by advocate Adit S Pujari and posted the matter for July 14.
“List the application for the report of the IO and for consideration on July 14,” the judge said in his order.
Narwal, lodged in Tihar jail along with another JNU student and member of the group, Devangana Kalitha, was arrested by Delhi Police on May 23 in connection with a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in north-east Delhi’ s Jaffrabad area in February.
Narwal and Devangana have been charged with the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) along with other sections of the Indian Penal Code such as criminal conspiracy and disturbing communal harmony.
The Crime Branch of the Delhi police had earlier filed a case against Narwal and Kalita for “actively being involved in hatching the conspiracy to cause riots near Jaffarabad metro station on February 25”.
The police said that they were also part of a larger conspiracy and were found to be connected to the “India against Hate” group and Umar Khalid. However, Khalid had denied all charges.
The police has filed 750 FIRs in connection the riots that had broken out in northeast Delhi, claiming more than 53 lives and leaving over 400 injured.
