Delhi Police Claims 2020 Riots Were a Planned Terrorist Act, Not a Spontaneous Protest

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The Delhi Police has told the Supreme Court that the 2020 riots in the capital were not a spontaneous protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) but a carefully planned and executed terrorist act. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju argued that the violence was marked by armed mobilization, destruction of CCTV cameras, and coordinated road blockades, resulting in 53 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The police claim that the scale of the violence, its preparation, and the intent behind it indicate a conspiracy that went far beyond civil demonstrations against the CAA. Raju compared the planning to violent political uprisings in Bangladesh and Nepal, suggesting that the broader purpose of the anti-CAA protests was 'regime change.' The police are opposing bail pleas filed by several accused, including Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and others, who are charged with conspiring to orchestrate the unrest. To support their claims, Raju presented a video from the Chand Bagh anti-CAA protest site and laid out a chronology of the riots, including a 'conspiratorial meeting' held on February 23, 2020, and the disabling of CCTV cameras the next day. Raju also cited protected witness statements, which allegedly revealed that members of the Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG) wanted a high level of violence and believed CCTV cameras were limiting the extent of violence. The police argue that the accused never challenged the trial court's order to apply the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) provisions, making the statutory bar on bail under Section 43D(5) applicable. The court will hear rejoinders from the accused on Monday. The police's claims have sparked controversy, and the case is set to continue in the Supreme Court.