Court sends 2 men who attacked Umar Khalid to judicial custody

August 23, 2018 19:01

A Delhi court today sent two persons, who had allegedly attacked Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, to two-week's judicial custody.

The incident took place on August 13 and the two were arrested from Haryana a week later.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat sent the duo, Darwesh Shahpur and Naveen Dalal, to the judicial custody after they were produced before the court on expiry of their two-day police custody.

The police told the court their custodial interrogation was not required.

The two men, who were arrested on August 20 from Fatehabad in Haryana's Hisar district, had claimed that they were cow vigilantes and wanted to draw attention towards protection of the animal.

The duo had told the police that they had planned to disrupt the event 'Khauff se Azaadi' (Freedom from Fear) that was being held at the Constitution Club on August 13.

When Dalal reached the Constitution Club, he found Khalid outside the venue and allegedly attacked him.

Dalal claimed he did not fire from a pistol, as alleged by Khalid, he was carrying and it fell down while he was fleeing from there.

However, police are probing Khalid's allegations about the weapon being pointed towards him. Shahpur was also present at the spot, but did not attack Khalid.

After the attack, they fled separately. One of them took a bus and then a metro, according to the police.

The two men told the police they wanted to draw people's attention towards the issue of cow protection and thought targeting the event would serve the purpose, police said.

In a video uploaded on Facebook on August 15, they claimed the attack on Khalid was supposed to be an 'Independence Day gift' to the citizens.

"We respect our Constitution. But there is no provision in our Constitution to punish mad dogs. By mad dogs, we mean the JNU gang that is making the country weaker and their number is increasing.

"Our elders in Haryana have taught us that such people should be taught a lesson," Shahpur had said in the video message.

Khalid was attacked when he was on his way to take part at the event. He escaped unhurt.

The Delhi Police had handed over the case to its Special Cell, which incidentally is already probing a sedition case against Khalid and two other JNU students.

A case of attempt to murder was registered by the police in connection with the incident. -- PTI

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