Sharjeel Imam Masterminded First Phase of Delhi Riots Under Umar Khalid’s Guidance: Delhi Police Tells SC
The police urge the Supreme Court to reject the bail pleas, maintaining that the accused cannot “play the victim card” after having “deliberately obstructed the trial"
In a detailed affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the Delhi Police has accused Sharjeel Imam of being a “key conspirator” in the 2020 Delhi riots, allegedly acting under the directions of Umar Khalid and other senior planners.
The affidavit claims Imam was instrumental in engineering the first phase of violence between December 13 and 20, 2019, which later escalated into the February 2020 riots that left 53 people dead and hundreds injured.
The police allege that Imam “conspired and executed” the initial unrest that began near Jamia Millia Islamia, during which 10 FIRs were registered, 101 police personnel and 41 civilians injured, and police booths, vehicles and buses burned.
According to the affidavit, electronic evidence including WhatsApp chats from the “MSJ Core Group” and multiple public speeches by Imam show that he played a pivotal role in strategising the protests and calling for a disruptive “Chakka Jam” in the national capital.
One such chat, dated December 7, 2019, cited by the police, reads: “अगले हफ्ते हमें कुछ करना होगा” (We must act next week). The police say that Imam, during a December 13 speech at Jamia, described the initial violence as merely a “spark” and urged the crowd to intensify the movement. In his speech, he reportedly said, “यह तो आज हुआ है, यह चिंगारी थी... अगर organised way में हो, और लोग आएंगे तो... हमारी ख्वाहिश है कि दिल्ली में चक्का जाम हो। (This happened today, it was a spark... If it's done in an organized way, and more people come, then... Our desire is for Delhi to be brought to a standstill)"
The affidavit further cites Imam’s subsequent speeches at Aligarh Muslim University (January 16, 2020), Asansol (January 22, 2020), and Chakand in Bihar (January 23, 2020), which, according to police, reveal his intent to mobilise people, block highways and “cut off” regions of India. The police have reproduced excerpts from these speeches where Imam allegedly stated: “अगर हमें असम की मदद करनी है, तो हमें असम का रास्ता बंद करना होगा… फ़ौज के लिए और जितने भी सप्लाई जा रहे हैं, बंद करो। (If we want to help Assam, then we will have to close the way to Assam... For the army and whatever supplies are going, stop them)"
The affidavit claims that Imam’s statement; “चार हफ्ते हैं, सोच लीजिए क्या कर सकते हैं” (We have four weeks; decide what you can do), made on January 23, 2020, proves his awareness of the impending February 2020 riots, which erupted exactly four weeks later.
The Delhi Police also links Imam’s actions to other accused members of the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), including Shifa-ur-Rehman, Safoora Zargar, Meeran Haider, Asif Iqbal Tanha, and Saiful Islam, alleging that they executed the “final stage” of the conspiracy by sending Jamia students to various protest sites in northeast Delhi to trigger violence during the visit of then-US President Donald Trump.
Additionally, the affidavit names Mohd Saleem Khan, Salim Malik @ Munna, Athar, and Shadab, claiming they acted as “local men” in implementing the conspiracy by converting sit-in protests at Chand Bagh into violent clashes.
Asserting that “jail and not bail is the rule” in offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Delhi Police argues that the accused have shown “brazen disregard for the law” and deliberately delayed the trial through “frivolous applications.” The affidavit contends that no new grounds have emerged to justify bail for any of the petitioners.
The police described the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as part of a “regime change operation,” asserting that the conspiracy was timed to coincide with the visit of then U.S. President Donald Trump to draw international attention.
Concluding its submission, the Delhi Police states that Sharjeel Imam’s actions directly threatened “the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of India,” and that there exists “irrefutable and ocular evidence” of his complicity in the riots.
The police urge the Supreme Court to reject the bail pleas, maintaining that the accused cannot “play the victim card” after having “deliberately obstructed the trial.”
The matter is likely to come up for further tomorrow, i.e. October 31 before the Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria.
Case Title: Gulfisha Fatima v. State of NCT of Delhi and connected matters
Affidavit By: Delhi Police
Affidavit Date: October 30, 2025
Bench: Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria