NEW DELHI: A day after arresting Umar Khalid, Delhi Police on Monday served notices to short filmmaker Rahul Roy and Saba Dewan to join the investigation in links with the North East Delhi communal riots case.
According to sources, Delhi Police Special Cell has allegedly found that the two have some connection with a Whatsapp group called ‘ Delhi Protest Support Group’ (DOSG). Roy and Dewan have also been named in the disclosure statement of one of the accused students (Gulfisha Fatima) in the supplementary chargesheet filed recently.
Till now more than 15 members of the DPSG WhatsApp group have been questioned by the investigation team. Recently, DU professor Apoorvanand’s mobile phone was also seized by the Delhi Police. As per a police official, many students and activists including Khalid have been booked under the First Information Report (FIR) 59/2020. The FIR which is one out of 750 FIRs, was filed by a sub-inspector Arvind Kumar based on the complaint received by an informer who told him that the riots were pre-planned.
As per reports, nearly 20 people have been arrested under UAPA, of which, four have gotten bail including Pinjra Tod founder Devangna Kalita and Natasha Narwal.
The North East Delhi Riots took place in the last week of February which claimed the lives of about 53 and injured over 583 persons. It also caused large scale damage to both private and public properties. “In their (police) attempt to prevent violence, 108 police personnel received injuries and two succumbed to their injuries,” said a police official.
Further, the police have registered 751 FIRs in connection with the riots that took place. So far, police have arrested 1,575 persons. Over 250 charge-sheets have been filed in the riots related cases in which 1,153 accused (571 Hindus & 582 Muslims) have been charge-sheeted. All these cases are pending before the Special Courts constituted for the trial, a said police official.
Filmmakers in the soup
According to sources, the Delhi Police Special Cell has allegedly found that the two have some connection with a Whatsapp group called ‘ Delhi Protest Support Group’