After spending hours questioning him on Sunday regarding an alleged conspiracy behind the communal violence that took place in North East Delhi in February, the Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested ex-JNU student leader Umar Khalid on Sunday under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). On Monday, Khalid was produced before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat via video conferencing, with the Delhi Police, claiming in their FIR that the February communal violence was a "premeditated conspiracy" hatched by Khalid and two others, seeking his 10-day custody.

A statement condemning Khalid's arrest, undersigned by prominent citizens including Ravi Kiran Jain, V Suresh, Mihir Desai, ND Pancholi, Satish Deshpande, Mary John, Apoorvanand, Aakar Patel, Harsh Mander, Farah Naqvi, Biraj Patnaik, and Nandini Sundar, describes Khalid as "one of our bravest young voices who spoke for the constitutional values of our country." The statement notes that he had been booked under several charges, including sedition and conspiracy for murder.