JNU student leader Umar Khalid attacked near Parliament, escapes unhurt

A gunshot rang out at Constitution Club in the high security area near Parliament today when an unidentified man targeted JNU student leader Umar Khalid, who escaped unhurt, witnesses said.

A gunshot rang out at Constitution Club in the high-security area near Parliament today when an unidentified man targeted JNU student leader Umar Khalid, who escaped unhurt, witnesses said.

The attacker dropped the weapon and fled the spot, police, and witnesses said. As confusion persisted over what had actually happened and how many people were involved, Ajay Chaudhary, joint commissioner of police, New Delhi range, said police were investigating whether shots were fired or not. A case of attempt to murder was registered by the police later.

The incident has raised questions on the security cover in Lutyens' Delhi, just two days before the Independence Day with the police saying they were not "intimated" about the event in which Khalid was taking part in.

Another police officer, privy to the probe, said they have seized the weapon and preliminary forensic examination said that the pistol had jammed. He said they are yet to ascertain whether shots were fired since no empty cartridges were found on the spot.

He said there were contradicting versions being given by the witnesses. Some were the claiming that the accused had fired in the air and others were claiming that the shot was fired on the ground. The ownership of the weapon could not be ascertained since it was an illegal country-made pistol.

Giving his version of what had happened, Khalid said he was going back inside the complex, which also houses the Mavlankar Auditorium and MP quarters on Rafi Marg, after having tea when somebody tried to fire at him.

"I was returning after having tea. One person came from behind, pushed me down and tried to fire at me. I ran for my life. He fled from there," Khalid told reporters. He said he could not see the face of the attacker. Police said the attacker's face was not covered and they are trying to identify the attacker through CCTV footages from the spot.

"I do not know whether it was the handiwork of some group and if others accompanied the attacker. It's ironic that it happened as I have come to participate in an event against mob lynching. There is an atmosphere of fear. If you speak against the government you will be branded and then anything could happen to you," he said.

Some witnesses claimed two shots were fired when Khalid was at the entrance of the club, where he was going to attend a conference, 'Khauff Se Azaadi' (Freedom from Fear), organised by United Against Hate and featuring speakers such as lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Delhi University professor Apoorvanand and the late Rohith Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula.

"Khalid said he was attacked. Somebody pounced on him and tried to fire at him but the person could immediately not fire. People started chasing him. According to Khalid, he tried to fire in the air. CCTV is being examined to verify the incident," said Madhur Verma, deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi).

Narrating what had happened, Saifi, who was with Khalid, said they had gone to have tea and three people approached them. "One of them got hold of Khalid which he resisted. There was a melee as a gunshot was heard. But Khalid was not injured. While the accused were fleeing, they fired one more shot," he told reporters at the spot.

Ban Jyotsana Lahiri, who was also there at the time, added that a man carrying a gun came from behind them and grappled with Khalid. "There was a scuffle. He shot from the gun after which he fled," she said

A shopkeeper, who has a shop opposite the venue, said he noticed two men fighting outside the Constitution Club.

"I saw them running towards the road and heard a gunshot. I saw that they had left the gun before escaping. Later, people started gathering on the road after hearing the noise," he said. The incident, which took place around 2.30 pm, comes two days before Independence Day when the city is on security alert. Police said they were not intimated about the event and that is why no arrangements were put in place.

Politicians, student leaders, and activists condemned the alleged attack saying the incident was the fallout of a "hate campaign" against him on social media and mainstream media.

JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar tweeted in Hindi and said, "What could be a bigger evidence of jungle raj in the country that the copies of the Constitution are burnt and Umar Khalid is fired at, close to the Parliament. The confidence of criminals has increased under the current government and media." The JNU Students' Union called the attack a "culmination of the hate-filled propaganda spewed by the Modi government" against him and against all those who have questioned this regime.

The student leader recently filed a complaint with the Delhi Police that he and Gujarat's Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani had received death threats from a man who identified himself as fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari in June. Khalid had said he was informed by Mevani about the threats and had not received any call himself.

Khalid hit the headlines in 2016 when he and former JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar along with another student Anirban Bhattacharya was charged with sedition for allegedly raising anti-national slogans during an event on campus to protest the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)