Delhi 2020 riots were regime change operation: Delhi Police's explosive charge

The Delhi Police has submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court opposing the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, and others accused in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.

The police alleged the violence was part of a planned “regime-change operation” designed to destabilise India and damage its global reputation.

Responding to the Supreme Court’s September 22 notice, the police said their investigation uncovered witness accounts, documents, and technical evidence linking the accused to a coordinated conspiracy along communal lines.

According to the affidavit, the riots were deliberately timed with then-US President Donald Trump’s visit to India to draw international attention and tarnish the country’s image.

The police claimed that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests were used as a cover to radicalise people and incite unrest, asserting that the accused aimed not at expressing dissent but at provoking violence with serious social and economic consequences.