Ex-Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid who was arrested on Sunday night under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act was sent to 10-day police custody on Monday, PTI reported. 

Khalid was arrested by the special cell of the Delhi Police late on Sunday night following 11 hours of interrogation for his alleged role in the northeast Delhi riots. 

A section of academics, politicians and social activists on Monday expressed solidarity with the former JNU student.

Dr SQR Ilyas, the national president of Welfare Party of India, and Khalid’s father had tweeted, “My son Umar Khalid has been arrested tonight at 11:00 pm by Special Cell, Delhi Police under UAPA. Police was questioning him since 1:00 pm. He has been implicated in Delhi Riots. #StandWithUmarKhalid.”

According to a statement released by his party, Ilyas strongly condemned the arrest of his son and said that police are “falsely implicating him in Delhi Riots”, as per PTI report.

The #StandWithUmarKhalid started trending on Twitter following Khalid’s arrest.

Also Read: Former JNU student leader Umar Khalid arrested over alleged role in northeast Delhi riots

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted using the hashtag and wrote “PM says he welcomes criticism, but forgets to mention the cost of criticism to be paid by those who speak out. In today’s India, payback is only reserved to our own citizens, never against countries who actually question and challenge our sovereignty.”

Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav also tweeted expressing dismay over the arrest and added that Khalid was among the leaders India deserves. Yadav was himself implicated in the Delhi riots by Delhi Police.

Yadav wrote “Shocked that an anti-terror law UAPA has been used to arrest a young, thinking, idealist like Umar Khalid who has always opposed violence and communalism in any form. He is undoubtedly among the leaders that India deserves. Delhi Police can’t detain India’s future for long.”

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan also criticised the move and wrote that the arrest exposes the “malafide nature of its investigation into Delhi riots.”

Bhushan wrote “Umar Khalid’s arrest by Delhi police after naming Yechury, Yogendra Yadav, Jayati Ghosh & Apoorvanand, leaves no doubt at all about the malafide nature of it’s investigation into Delhi riots. It’s a conspiracy by the police to frame peaceful activists in the guise of Investigation.”

Activist Harsh Mandar called Khalid a youth the country should be proud of and added that he always spoke of non-violence and Gandhi.

Mandar tweeted “…He’s a youth a country should be proud of – idealistic, progressive, brave. We spoke together in anti-CAA protests: he spoke always of non-violence & Gandhi. Today he’s arrested under draconian UAPA on trumped up charges of conspiracy. Cry out, my country.”

A group of academicians and activists, including Satish Deshpande, Mary John, Apoorvanand, Nandini Sundar, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Aakar Patel, Mander, Farah Naqvi and Biraj Patnaik, also jointly issued a statement expressing solidarity with Khalid and termed his arrest a “witch-hunt”.