Delhi Riots Case: Tahir Hussain Was in Touch With Pinjra Tod Members, Say Police in Chargesheet

New Delhi, July 7: Suspended AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain was allegedly in contact with Pinjra Tod members and JNU students Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita to hatch a "well planned and deep rooted conspiracy" to cause widespread riots in north east Delhi in February, the Delhi police has said in its chargesheet filed before a court here.

Police said Hussain along with the two women and several others were allegedly responsible for the death of 53 persons, injury to countless innocent individuals, destruction of properties worth crores of rupees and causing a "tear in the social fabric of the nation as a whole". Delhi Violence: Tahir Hussain, Expelled AAP Councillor, Moves Anticipatory Bail Before Delhi Court in IB Staffer Ankit Sharma's Murder Case.

The charge sheet, in a case related to communal violence in the area, was filed last month before Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Kumar Rampuri and it will next come up for hearing on July 20.

In the charge sheet, the copy of which is available now, a flow chart showing Hussain speaking and connecting with a host of other co-conspirators who were involved in organising protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Delhi at various protest sites, is provided for the perusal of the court.

In the charge sheet, the flow chart showed that Hussain was allegedly in touch with Narwal and Kalita; Wajid Khan (allegedly involved in organising protest  at Shaheen Bagh), Haji Ballo (allegedly involved in anti-CAA protests at Khajuri Khas area), Haji Mangta (allegedly involved in organizing the protest at Chand Bagh area) and Hasibul Hasan (allegedly involved in protests at Jaffrabad area).

The charge sheet filed in the case of rioting named Hussain as the main accused along with ten others in connection with communal violence in north east Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in February.

It further claimed that Hussain was also in touch with owner of Al-Hind hospital Dr M A Anwar, social activist and anti-CAA protestor Wasim Akram Tyagi, alleged Popular Front of India member Danish and some advocates.

"Call detail records analysis of accused Tahir Hussain revealed that since the starting of the anti-CAA protests in Delhi, he was in touch with other accused persons namely Liyakat Ali, Irshad, Shadab, Abid, Mohd Rehman alias Arshad Pradhan, etc already arrested in the case and with Khalid Saifi (anti-CAA protester and arrested rioter in Jagatpuri area), persons who were involved in organising anti-CAA protests in various sites such as Haji Mangta (protest site at at Chand Bagh Mazar), Haji Ballo (protest site at Shri Ram Colony, Khajuri Khas), Wajid Khan (protest site at Shaheen Bagh), Dr M A Anwar (protest site at Brijpuri Pulia near Farooqia Masjid) and with some advocates.

"All of these persons, along with Tahir Hussain, have hatched a well planned and deep rooted conspiracy to precipitate and cause widespread riots in north east Delhi. Together these persons are responsible for the death of 53 persons, injury to countless innocent individuals, destruction of properties worth crores of rupees and causing a tear in the social fabric of the nation as a whole," the charge sheet said.

Kalita and Narwal have not been arrested in this case. However, they have been arrested in connection with two separate cases related to rioting. Kalita was also arrested in connection with the violence in old Delhi's Daryaganj area in December last year during anti-CAA protests.

The charge sheet further claimed that disclosure statement of Hussain has revealed that he planned these riots with Khalid Saifi and former JNU student leader Umar Khhalid in their meeting on January 8 at Shaheen Bagh and he was also in touch with other anti-CAA protest organisers and arranged/ distributed cashh among anti-CAA protestors and rioters through transfers of money from his company accounts to shell companies.

Saifi was a member of United Against Hate, a citizens' campaign launched in 2017 to protest against series of lynching in the country and was allegedly involved in the violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in which financial support was provided by the the PFI, formed in 2006 in  Kerala as a successor to the National Democratic Front (NDF).

The chargesheet also stated that Hussain allegedly transferred around Rs 1.10 crore from the accounts of companies owned by him to alleged fake companies. He received the amount in cash in the second week of January, 2020 through a chain of transactions and thereafter distributed the money to anti-CAA protestors.

According to the chargesheet, the bank account details showed six suspicious transactions from Essence Cellcom Pvt Ltd. amounting to Rs 92 lakhs to two other accounts. "His (Hussain's) another company Show Effect Advertising Pvt Ltd showed a transfer of Rs 20 lakh on January 8... All these chains of transactions are being investigated," it said.

Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage) was founded in 2015 with an aim to make hostels and paying guest accommodations less restrictive for women students. In 2015, Jamia Millia Islamia University had issued a notice restricting female students to stay out after 8 pm.

When the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) questioned the Jamia administration on it, a group of women students decided to protest against the restrictions not only in Jamia but other universities in Delhi. Later named as Pinjra Tod, the group mobilised people around several issues faced by female residents of hostels and PGs.