Anti-CAA protests: Delhi Police arrests accused in December 2019 New Friends Colony violence

New Delhi: Police have arrested a man accused of violence during the December 2019 anti-CAA protests in southeast Delhi who had been declared a proclaimed offender after failing to appear in court, an officer said on Friday.

Shaheen Bagh resident Mohd Hanif (42) is a co-accused in the case with Sharjeel Imam and Aasif Iqbal Tanha. The police also seized a pistol and five rounds from him, he added.

A local court on March 7 ordered framing of charges against Sharjeel Imam and Aasif Iqbal Tanha in the case.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said, "During the protests in December 2019, he (Hanif) and his brother Harun actively participated in riots in the New Friends Colony area. He was arrested in connection with a case registered under multiple section of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting and unlawful assembly, and the Arms Act." Hanif had secured bail but failed to appear in court and was declared a proclaimed offender, he said.

Another case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against him in 2022 but he had managed to evade arrest, the officer further said.

Acting on information about Hanif's presence near the Gazipur-Ghadoli Village Road, the police laid a trap and apprehended him, leading to the seizure of a pistol and five rounds, Kaushik said.

A fresh case under the Arms Act has been registered and further investigation is underway.

Hanif hails from West Bengal's Cooch Behar district and studied up to Class 10. He left his studies due to financial hardship and initially worked with his father in the scrap business before venturing into chicken supply. Between 2012 and 2015, he worked as a driver, according to Kaushik.

In 2016, Hanif came in contact with one Aslam from the Nizamuddin area who introduced him to the narcotics trade.

He was first arrested in 2006 in connection with assault and trespassing. The Delhi Police's Crime Branch arrested him in 2018 in a narcotics case, Kaushik said.