Rights activist Umar Khalid was arrested after 11 hours of questioning by Delhi police’s special cell, which investigates alleged acts of terrorism.
He is accused of inciting communal riots in February in Delhi that killed 53 people here.
Khalid, a former student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, is currently facing a 2016 case against him for organising a “cultural evening” in which slogans for Kashmiri independence were allegedly raised. The trial is yet to begin in that case.
He is currently charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and has been named in an FIR accusing him of inciting riots in Delhi through his speeches.
Khalid had complained to police commissioner S.N. Srivastava earlier this month that his acquaintances were being coerced by the police to falsely implicate him or face arrest.
Khalid’s friends said that he returned to Delhi from Rajasthan after a notice from the police and reported to the special cell’s office in Lodhi Colony on Sunday morning.
