Delhi Riots: Police Summons Another Jamia Student Despite COVID-19 Case at Special Cell Headquarters

Continuing to send notices under UAPA against several members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), the JCC, Pinjra Tod, All India Students’ Association (AISA), former and current students of Delhi University, JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia for sit-in protests against Citizenship Amendment Act, the Delhi Police Special Cell has summoned JMI student Chandan Kumar for interrogation in connection with Delhi riots that broke out in February. Also Read - Crocodiles Tears Might be Real This Time as Chennai Reptile Zoo Runs Out of Funds to Feed Them Amid COVID-19 Lockdown As per Balaji, Chandan’s request to join the probe through video-conference was denied by the Delhi police who allegedly insisted on him to come physically to the Special Cell headquarters despite a case of COVID-19 being found there. Balaji shared, “Delhi Police, after adding charges of UAPA to the FIR, is targeting and witch-hunting students. He wrote to the police about his willingness to join the investigation through video conference or any other method that doesn’t put his health and life at risk during the pandemic, but they insisted on him coming in physically to the Special Cell headquarters, where a case of COVID-19 had been found.” Last month, over 20 celebrities from Hindi film fraternity, stand-up comics and activists criticised the Delhi Police for its “witch-hunt” of anti-CAA protestors amid COVID-19 pandemic. The signatories included Mahesh Bhatt, Aparna Sen, Ratna Pathak Shah, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, Vishal Dadlani, Nandita Das, Konkona Sen Sharma, Hansal Mehta, Onir, Sushant Singh, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Neeraj Ghaywan, Ashwini Chaudhury, Ankur Tewari, Abish Mathew, Andre Borges, Mallika Dua, Saba Singh Azad, Sohail Tatari, Kushan Nandy among others. The statement came days within the arrest of two Jamia Millia Islamia students and several activists from North-East Delhi localities who had taken part in the peaceful sit-in protests. Calling the move by Delhi Police “utterly inhuman and undemocratic”, the statement released asserted that “making several people travel to police stations every day and then throwing some of them to jails also defeats the purpose of the lockdown and makes a mockery of social distancing.” Urging the Delhi Police to “stop abusing the lockdown, respect the human rights of our fellow citizens and put an end to this witch-hunt”, the statement demanded the release of the students and activists arrested at a time “when there is hardly even any media coverage of its actions”. So far six people, including Jamia students Sarfoora Zargar and Meeran Haider, former Congress councillor Ishrat Jahan, activist Khalid Saifi and Shifa have been arrested in connection with the Delhi riots since the lockdown was announced on March 22.