Umar Khalid's Pre-Recorded Message: 'They Are Trying To Scare You, Trap You In Lies'

Activists and journalists on Wednesday shared a video message recorded by Umar Khalid before his arrest by the Delhi Police in a case related to the Delhi riots.

The video was released three days after his arrest on Sunday.

In the video Khalid said the police was “not catching people who openly instigated the riots, in front of the police, in front of TV cameras, we’ve all seen this.”

“Forget an FIR, they haven’t even been called for questioning,” he says.

Instead, Khalid said false cases were being registered against people who protested the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.

“I gave a 17-minute speech out of which 20-30 seconds are taken out and made viral saying that I conspired in the Delhi riots. The part where I talked about Satyagraha is nowhere to be seen,” he said.

“Why am I dangerous? Is it because I say that this country as much mine as it is yours? We live in a beautiful country where people of different faiths, speaking various languages, all kinds of people are equal before the Constitution and the law. Today, efforts are being made to change this, to divide us. And those who speak against this divisive politics are threatened, intimidated and put behind bars to silence them,” he said.

“They are trying to scare us, but they are trying to scare you too. They are stifling our voice by jailing us, but they are also trying to trap you in lies. They want to frighten you into silence. My one appeal is do not get scared. Raise your voice against injustice.”

Watch below:

The former JNU student leader was arrested under the draconian anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Sunday night. A Delhi court on Monday sent Khalid to police custody for 10 days in a case related to the Delhi riots in February.

JNU student Sharjeel Imam, Pinjra Tod members and JNU students Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, Jamia Millia Islamia students Asif Iqbal Tanha and Gulfisha Khatoon, former Congress Councillor Ishrat Jahan, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar, Meeran Haider, President of Jamia Alumni Association Shifa-Ur-Rehman, suspended AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain and activist Khalid Saifi have also been booked under the anti-terror law in the case.

Delhi Police had sought Khalid’s custody for 10 days, saying they wanted to confront him with documents running into 11 lakh pages.

“Considering the nature of the case and role of accused Umar Khalid that has surfaced so far regarding the conspiracy and involvement in anti-CAA (anti-Citizenship Amendment Act)/NPR (National Population Register) /NRC (National Register for Citizens) protest with the support of several radical groups/organisations resulting in riots and the fact that the custodial interrogation has been sought of the accused Umar Khalid for confronting the huge technical data as well as material that has come during the investigation, I deem it fit that, for having an effective and proper investigation to allow the present application for seeking police custody remand of the accused for a period of 10 days,” the judge said in his order.

In the FIR, police has alleged that the communal violence was a “premeditated conspiracy” which was allegedly hatched by Khalid and two others.

He has been booked for the offences of sedition, murder, attempt to murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and rioting.

(With PTI inputs)