Activist Nadeem Khan Created Narrative To Portray "Particular Community" As Victims Of Oppression By Govt: Delhi Police To High Court

The Delhi Police has told the Delhi High Court that human rights activist Nadeem Khan, through “targeted dissemination of selective and misleading information”, has sought to create a narrative portraying members of a “particular community” as victims of “systematic oppression” by the incumbent government.

“This selective portrayal is not only factually distorted but appears to be calculated to evoke feelings of victimization and persecution within that community. Such actions suggest a deliberate attempt to provoke discontent and unrest, amounting to a larger conspiracy aimed at undermining communal harmony and public order,” the Police has said.

The submissions have been made by the Delhi Police in its response while opposing pleas filed by Khan and Protection of Civil Rights (APCR). Khan is the National Secretary of the organisation. The pleas have sought quashing of the Delhi Police FIR against Khan.

Khan has been booked on the charges of promoting enmity and criminal conspiracy after a video went viral on social media.

The FIR states that a sub-inspector, while on patrol duty, was informed by secret sources that a video was uploaded on the social media that was causing “great anger among local people and could lead to violence.”

As per the FIR, it was found that the video titled “Records of Hindustan in Modi Sarkar” was posted on YouTube on November 21 by “Akram official 50” channel.

The FIR states that the video showed a person who had set up a stall at an exhibition and was gesturing towards a banner. He was allegedly talking about “Nadeem, Akhlaq, Rohit Vemula, Pehlu Khan” and referred to the 2020 Shaheen Bagh protests, Delhi riots, thereby portraying a particular community as victims and inciting people.

The Police has said that the stall was set up by APCR and that the person speaking in the video was Khan.

In its affidavit, the Delhi Police has said that Khan was evasive during the entire interrogation on December 05 and that it was found that the "exhibition" organized by "Jamat -e- Islami Hind" and a stall of which alleged video was recorded in stall of APCR, was completely managed and controlled by him.

“That the petitioner, through the targeted dissemination of selective and misleading information related to specific past incidents, has sought to create a narrative portraying members of a particular community as victims of systematic oppression by the incumbent government,” the response states.

It adds that Khan's acts are not in good faith and are likely to cause fear and alarm and feeling of insecurity amongst the members of a “particular religion.”

“Such nefarious acts on social media platforms can disrupt communal harmony, possibly inciting unrest or conflict between different communities,” the police has said.It has added: “That the petitioner's conduct, viewed in its entirety, demonstrates a willful disregard for the potential ramifications on communal harmony. By disseminating such information, the petitioner has acted in a manner that not only contravenes the statutory provisions but also poses a serious threat to the foundational values of peace and unity enshrined in the Constitution of India.”

Recently, Khan was granted interim protection from arrest by Justice Jasmeet Singh. The matter is now listed on Wednesday. 

Case Title: MOHAMMAD WASIQ NADEEM KHAN v. STATE OF NCT OF DELHI & ANR.