Umar Khalid Confronts Reporter: ‘For How Long Will You Do Paid Journalism?’

New Delhi, 16 Mar 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: A video clip has surfaced on social media showing incarcerated anti-CAA activist and former JNU scholar Umar Khalid confronting a reporter asking, “For how long will you do paid journalism?”

The reporter who is trying to evoke a reaction from Khalid can be heard in the clip saying, “you are being accused of sedition.”

The incident took place in the premises of the Patiala House Court on Monday where Khalid was brought in connection with the 2016 JNU sedition case which was listed for hearing.

All the seven accused including Kanaihya Kumar were granted bail.

Khalid who is in jail since September last year over allegations of being a conspirator of the riots that shook Delhi in February last year had earlier in January approached the court alleging that there was a “vicious media campaign” against him following leaking of contents of charge sheet.

He had alleged that the media coverage was affecting the “free and fair trial” of his case.

Khalid had moved the application before the court after News18 ran a story claiming that he had “admitted” that he “conspired to fuel riots”.

Khalid had said in the application he was dismayed by the conduct of the Delhi Police which, he said, was prejudicial to the trial and that he had already declared that he had not given any confessional statements.

Similar allegations have been made by Asif Iqbal Tanha, another accused in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.

In his case, the court came down heavily on the police for both leaking the contents of the chargesheet to the media and then failing to conclusively find the officials responsible for the leak.

In Tanha’s case, it was Zee News which ran stories claiming that he has confessed to the charges of being a conspirator of riots.

Delhi Police has faced accusations of conducting biased investigation in Delhi riots cases implicating anti-CAA activists under terror charges while shielding the leaders and supporters of Hindutva groups who are alleged to have instigated or participated in the violence that claimed more than 50 lives, majority of them Muslims.