In a striking turn in the 2020 Delhi riots case, the Delhi Police have claimed that the violence was not spontaneous but part of a meticulously planned &ldquo;regime-change operation&rdquo; aimed at destabilising India and tarnishing its global image. In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the police said they had gathered evidence, from witness testimonies to digital trails, that ties the accused to what they describe as a &ldquo;deep-rooted conspiracy engineered along communal lines.&rdquo;
Filed in response to the bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, and Gulfisha Fatima, the affidavit asserts that the accused intended to &ldquo;destabilise the country by setting up a global narrative of ethnic cleansing or pogrom of the Muslim community under the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Act).&rdquo; The document argues that the protests were designed to coincide with then US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s India visit, drawing maximum international attention to portray the government negatively.
According to the Delhi Police, the accused were not merely expressing dissent but deliberately inciting unrest &ldquo;with direct implications on the nation&rsquo;s economic and social fabric.&rdquo; The affidavit accuses them of using the anti-CAA movement as a front to mobilise mobs and radicalise communities. It further alleges that the violence was carefully timed, coordinated through WhatsApp groups like the Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG), and executed across multiple districts in the capital.
The police detailed Umar Khalid&rsquo;s alleged role as the &ldquo;architect of the Chakka Jam strategy,&rdquo; claiming he instructed local women to stockpile stones, acid, and weapons to intensify clashes. The affidavit also points to Sharjeel Imam&rsquo;s speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia and Asansol, calling for a blockade in the national capital and encouraging &ldquo;a global narrative against India.&rdquo; His statements, the police allege, &ldquo;threatened the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of India.&rdquo;
Dismissing the accused&rsquo;s claims of procedural delay, the police told the Supreme Court that &ldquo;jail, not bail&rdquo; must be the rule under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, given the gravity of offences linked to terrorism and sedition. The affidavit notes that the violence resulted in 53 deaths, hundreds injured, and over 750 FIRs, asserting that the plot extended beyond Delhi,&nbsp; a blueprint, the police allege, for unrest across India.

Delhi Riots: Police Allege 'Change Regime Plot'

Delhi Police claim 2020 riots were a planned conspiracy to destabilise India globally

Delhi Riots: Police Allege 'Change Regime Plot'

Delhi Police claim 2020 riots were a planned conspiracy to destabilise India globally

October 30, 2025 | 16:54 IST