Yechury, Yogendra Yadav named in Delhi riots supplementary charge sheet

Delhi Police has filed a supplementary charge sheet against founding members of Pinjra Tod, Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and student activist Gulfisha Fatima in Karkardooma court.

The names of CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, Jayati Ghosh, an economist, Chandrashekhar Ravan, an Indian Ambedkarite lawyer turned activist also the co-founder and president of Bhim Army and several academicians have appeared in the disclosure statements of an accused, the charge sheet mentioned.

However, Narwal and Kalita refused to sign their statements. The statements have been recorded under section 161 CrPC which has no evidentiary value.

According to the charge sheet, the disclosure statement of Gulfisha Fatima stated that "In the month of December after passing CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), protests started in the Muslim community area. Due to which I also visited different protest sites i.e. Shaheenbagh, Jantar Mantar, ITO Delhi. I heard and met people at these protest sites. During this time I met the members of Pinjra Tod, Promila Roy, Rumsa, Subhasani, Nilofar, Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita, and I became friends with Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita."

She also added in her disclosure statement, "During this I strongly opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) passed by the government and encouraged the people of the Muslim community to join protests against this law. This movement was to be spread in every Muslim-dominated area of Delhi.

"For this work, I was told by the leaders of the JCC, Devangana of Pinjra Tod, Natasha Narwal, that we have to strongly oppose CAA/NRC and go to any extent. I was able to bring two communities face to face, on the guidelines of Natasha and Devangana Kalita and Umar Khalid and others," Fatima stated.

"The purpose of this movement is only to present the image of the government of India as anti-Muslim and the protest should be secular. I and my companions Natasha Narwal, Paroma Roy, Subhasani, Rumsha, Guddu Chaudhary, Tasleem Ahmed, Habibul Hasan, Rafaqat, Sahrukh jointly staged a demonstration in Seelampur on January 15, 2020, in which we and other colleagues were also there, she said in her statement," she added.

Disclosure statement also added that everyone got different work and responsibility. Matin Ahmed ex-MLA was also helping us.

"I used to stay at the protest site and operate the stage. Amanatullah, Anas and Sadaf of JCC were with us and used to help in every way. Omar Khalid used to help with money and used to address people in separatist language so that more people joined the strike in early February. In the evening at the site of the protest site, Umar Khalid came to give a speech which provoked the people there and we had built a room near in which we were photographed with Omar Khalid," Fatima stated.

Speeches were made at the picket sites by Devangana and Natasha Narwal as JNU scholars. The less educated people could be tricked and our talk would have more effect. People started explaining to them that they felt that this law was anti-Muslim.

The crowd had started growing and according to the plan, big leaders and lawyers started coming to provoke and mobilise this crowd, including Omar Khalid, Chander Sekhar Ravan, Yogendra Yadav, Sitaram Yechury, and lawyer Mahmood Pracha, Chaudhary Matin, etc. Mahmood Pracha said that the sitting in the demonstration is your democratic right and the rest of the leaders instilled a feeling of discontent in the community by calling CAA/NRC anti-Muslim. Devangana Kalita had said that the government is going to implement the same scheme in Delhi, even if the identity documents are not sent by the NRC in Assam.

"The Government of India is plotting to expel the Muslim community from India through this law, which will now be implemented in Delhi. On this, the feeling of insecurity started coming in people. Now the crowd was increasing daily, which we had to move and bring it to the Jaffarabad area to block the road from Seelampur to Loni road which was surrounded by the Muslim population from all around," Fatima stated.

This all was for the attention of international media under the proposed American President's visit to India, she added.