Delhi Police has charged Pinjra Tod founding member and Jawaharlal Nehru University student Devangana Kalita under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in February.
Kalita has also been charged under various sections related to sedition, attempt to murder, murder, criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth etc, the police said, according to The Hindu.
This is the fourth FIR filed against Kalita, two are in connection with anti-CAA protests in February and the other over violence in December in Daryaganj during an anti-CAA protest.
This comes four days after her lawyers had secured bail for her in the Daryaganj violence case.
Warrants for the arrest of Narwal and Kalita under FIR number 59, which has the anti-terror law, were taken out on 6 March. While Narwal was arrested on 29 May under the particular FIR, Kalita was arrested on 6 June.
A police officer who wished to remain anonymous had told Hindustan Times that there was enough evidence against Narwal to establish the charges against her, and that Kalita would be booked and arrested depending on how much evidence is gathered against her.
Pinjra Tod Condemns Charges
In a statement, Pinjra Tod condemned the UAPA charges against Kalita, saying that each new FIR against her was putting more severe charges.
“She has now been charged in FIR 59/20, which also names Umar Khalid, Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, Safoora Zargar, Gulfisha, Natasha and others accused of hatching a ‘conspiracy’ to unleash riots in Delhi. All these activists and many others have languished in jail for months already, even as new names continue to be added to the list.”Pinjra Tod
Kalita, along with fellow Pinjra Tod member Natasha Narwal, is currently in judicial custody in another case connected to the riots in northeast Delhi.
The two activists were arrested on 23 May, for their alleged role in the Jaffrabad sit-in protest and were granted bail the next day. However, within minutes, the two women were arrested again on charges of attempt to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy.
(With inputs from The Wire and The Hindu.)
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