New Delhi: The Delhi Police claimed it was not intimated about the event at the Constitution Club which JNU student Umar Khalid had gone to attend when he was attacked by an unidentified gunmen.
Questions were raised about security in Lutyens’s Delhi after the attack on Khalid, who escaped unhurt.
“We were not aware about the programme since we were not intimated about it. As soon as we were informed about the incident, our team reached the spot since a police station is also nearby,” said Ajay Chaudhary, Joint Commissioner of Police, New Delhi range.
The event, ‘Khauff Se Azaadi‘ (Freedom from Fear), was organised by United Against Hate and featured speakers such as lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Delhi University professor Apoorvanand and the late Rohith Vemula’s mother Radhika Vemula, among others.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Anwar Ali, who was one of the speakers at the event, raised concerns over the security in Lutyens’ Delhi.
“Even Lutyens’ Delhi is not safe anymore. Today, Umar Khalid was attacked right here in the Constitution Club. This could have happened with anyone of us anywhere,” he added.
Activist Shabnam Hashmi also expressed similar concerns. “The politics of violence is responsible for it along with certain media houses maligning him. When violence is encouraged in the society by those in power this is bound to happen irrespective of security zone or not,” she added.