‘Intellectuals Turning to Terrorism More Dangerous,’ Delhi Police Tell Supreme Court During 2020 Riots Bail Hearing

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Thursday strongly opposed the bail petitions of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others accused in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case, telling the Supreme Court that a disturbing pattern has emerged of highly educated individuals engaging in terrorism.

According to reports, appearing for the police, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju told a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria that “intellectuals turning into terrorists” posed a greater threat than ground-level operatives. He claimed that some individuals were using state-funded education to become doctors and engineers, only to later participate in “nefarious, anti-national activities.”

The ASG cited both the recent white-collar terror module busted in Haryana and past incidents to support his argument. Earlier this month, security agencies uncovered a Jaish-e-Mohammad-backed module operating from Al-Falah University, allegedly run by professionals. Nearly 2,900 kg of material used for making IEDs was recovered from the premises of a doctor linked to the group. The police also referred to past attacks, including the Red Fort blast carriedout by a doctor’s associate, which killed 14 people.

During the hearing, the Delhi Police maintained that the 2020 communal violence, which erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), was neither accidental nor spontaneous, but the result of a “well-coordinated conspiracy.” More than 50 people were killed and over 700 injured in the clashes.

Imam and Khalid, both charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), are accused of being part of the alleged larger conspiracy. The ASG presented videos of Sharjeel Imam delivering speeches against the CAA ahead of its passage, arguing they were intended to incite unrest. He also highlighted that Imam was an engineering graduate, saying this reflected a “trend” of educated professionals choosing activism that “crosses into anti-national space.”

According to the police, the accused planned to blockade vital supply routes to Delhi and disrupt the “chicken’s neck” corridor in Assam—the narrow land link connecting the northeast to the rest of India. The ASG argued that the alleged plan was timed to coincide with then–US President Donald Trump’s February 2020 state visit, describing it as part of a broader attempt to destabilise the government.

The Supreme Court will continue hearing the bail pleas, while the police reiterated that the seriousness of the alleged conspiracy warranted continued detention under the stringent anti-terror law.