Delhi violence: Two Pinjra Tod members sent to judicial custody for 14 days

The magistrate sent Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita to judicial custody after the police said their custody was no longer needed for the probe.

A Delhi court on Thursday sent two members of the Pinjra Tod collective to judicial custody for 14 days in connection with a case related to communal violence in North East Delhi in February, PTI reported.

Metropolitan Magistrate Kapil Kumar sent Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita to judicial remand after the police said their custody was no longer needed for the probe.

The women’s rights collective is accused of organising the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Jafrabad metro station in New Delhi in February. A group of around 500 women had protested against the new amended law at the metro station in February.

“Investigation is pending. Grounds of arrest have been examined,” Judge Kumar said on Thursday according to The Quint. “There were sufficient grounds for arrest of the accused persons. Keeping in view the nature of these allegations, accused persons are remanded to judicial custody and be produced on 11.06.2020.”

The Delhi Police first arrested the two on May 23. A day later, a Delhi court granted Narwal and Kalita bail in the matter. But immediately, the Delhi Police moved an application seeking to interrogate them and arrested them in a separate case related to the violence. They were charged with attempt to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy.

The police sought custody of the accused for 14 days, but the court granted it for just two days, saying that the investigation was in its initial stages. Advocate Adit S Pujari, appearing for Narwal and Kalita, had told the court that the women were arrested with “malafide” intent.

The two are students of Jawaharlal Nehru University and founding members of Pinjra Tod, formed in 2015 with the aim to make hostels and paying guest accommodations less restrictive for women. The collective was formed after Jamia Millia Islamia University issued a notice barring women students from staying outdoors after 8 pm.

The communal clashes in North East Delhi, which lasted for four days in February, led to the deaths of 53 people and injuries to hundreds.