Wanted to highlight cow protection agenda: Umar Khalid's attackers
A Delhi court today sent two persons, who allegedly attacked JNU student leader Umar Khalid, to two-day police custody. The duo claimed they're cow vigilantes who wanted to draw attention towards cow protection. Khalid was attacked on August 13 when he was on his way to take part in an event at the Constitution Club in New Delhi. He, however, escaped unhurt. Here's more.
Duo was arrested yesterday from Haryana
The two men, Darwesh Shahpur and Naveen Dalal, were arrested yesterday from Fatehabad in Haryana's Hisar district. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat allowed the plea of the Delhi Police after it said their custodial interrogation was required.
Accused had planned to interrupt the Constitution Club event
The duo told the police that they had planned to disrupt the event 'Khauff se Azaadi' (Freedom from Fear) that was being held at the Constitution Club. When Dalal reached the Constitution Club, he found Khalid outside the venue and attacked him. Dalal claimed he did not fire from the weapon he was carrying and it fell down while he was fleeing the spot.
Duo fled separately after attacking Khalid
However, police are probing Khalid's allegations about the weapon being pointed towards him. Shahpur was also present at the spot but didn't attack Khalid. After the attack, they both fled separately. One of them took a bus and then a metro. The duo said they wanted to draw attention towards the issue of cow protection and thought targeting the event would highlight their cause.
Attackers uploaded a video calling the attack 'Independence Day gift'
The duo uploaded a video on Facebook on August 15 saying the aforementioned attack was "Independence Day gift" to citizens. "We respect our Constitution. But there's no provision in our Constitution to punish mad dogs, i.e., the JNU gang that is making India weaker. Our elders in Haryana have taught us that such people should be taught a lesson," Shahpur said in the video.
