Post by : Raina
Al-Fahim
Delhi Police has expressed deep concerns over an alarming trend wherein educated professionals are reportedly misusing publicly funded education for anti-national purposes. This issue surfaced during bail plea hearings for activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others linked to the 2020 Delhi riots in the Supreme Court.
Representing the police, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju informed the Supreme Court that some intellectuals take advantage of governmental resources to become doctors and engineers, later engaging in perilous activities against the nation. He cautioned, “When educated individuals resort to terror, they pose a greater threat than those who are more directly involved.”
The Delhi Police cited recent incidents such as the Red Fort explosion and the emergence of a Jaish-e-Mohammed-affiliated terror cell operating from Al-Falah University in Haryana. Authorities confiscated about 2,900 kilograms of explosives from a doctor earlier this month, and subsequently, Dr. Umar Nabi was implicated in detonating a car near the Red Fort, resulting in 14 fatalities. Multiple arrests of doctors linked to these events have occurred since.
A Supreme Court bench, led by Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria, reviewed the bail pleas of Khalid, Imam, and others. These activists face charges under the strict Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly planning to incite the February 2020 riots in Northeast Delhi, triggered by the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which claimed over 50 lives and left more than 700 injured.
Throughout the proceedings, Delhi Police asserted that the violence was “orchestrated, premeditated, and meticulously plotted,” rather than occurring spontaneously. Evidence, including videos, showed Sharjeel Imam giving speeches that supposedly encouraged violence against the CAA, aimed at providing Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
ASG Raju further alleged that the accused’s broader strategy entailed obstructing supplies to Delhi and economically suffocating the “chicken’s neck” corridor in Assam, a critical link connecting Northeastern India to the mainland. He also suggested that the timing of the riots coinciding with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to India in February 2020 indicated a calculated plan.
The statements from the Delhi Police shed light on growing concerns regarding the exploitation of educational and professional advantages for activities threatening national security. The Supreme Court has yet to render a decision on the bail requests from these activists.
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