Delhi riots: 2 Pinjra Tod activists arrested, sent to judicial custody for 14 days

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New Delhi: The Delhi Police's Special Cell on Friday (May 29) arrested Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal and booked her under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged conspiracy in the northeast Delhi riots in February and were sent to judicial custody for 14 days. 

Narwal, along with another JNU student Devangana Kalita have already been arrested in another case, being investigated by the Crime branch, related to communal violence in northeast Delhi and are in judicial custody till June 11. Metropolitan Magistrate Kapil Kumar sent both to judicial remand after the Delhi Police told the court that they longer seek their custody for probe.

The two women are associated with Pinjra Tod group, a collective of women students and alumni of colleges from across Delhi and are currently lodged in Mandoli jail here. The two women were arrested on May 23 in connection with a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Jaffrabad area in February. A day later, they were granted bail by the court in the case.

Soon after the court passed the order, the Crime Branch of the Delhi police arrested them in a separate case related to the violence, after which both were sent to judicial custody on May 28.

Jamia Millia Islamia students Asif Iqbal Tanha and Gulfisha Khatoon, Jamia Coordination Committee members Safoora Zargar and Meeran Haider, President of Jamia Alumni Association Shifa-Ur-Rehman, suspended AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain, former Congress municipal councillor Ishrat Jahan and former student leader Umar Khalid have also been booked under the anti-terror law in the case being investigated by the Special Cell of the Delhi police.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 this year over anti-Citizenship Act, leaving more than 50 people dead and around 200-250 injured.