August 13
An unidentified man reportedly opened fire at Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Umar Khalid outside Constitution Club of India on Rafi Marg in the national capital on Monday, police said. Khalid escaped unhurt.
The student had arrived at the club to attend an event titled “Khauff Se Azaadi” organised by an organisation named “United Against Hate”.
An eyewitness told news agency ANI, “There was an event and Umar Khalid had accompanied us. We were at a tea stall when a man in a white shirt came, pushed and opened fire at him. Khalid lost his balance and fell down and the bullet missed him. We tried to catch the man. The pistol slipped off his hands and he escaped.”
“There is an atmosphere of fear in the country, and anybody who speaks against the government is threatened,” Khalid later said.
In February 2016, the student leader along with Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya were charged with sedition and arrested in connection with a campus event relating to Afzal Guru, who was convicted for his role in the 2001 Parliament attack. (ANI)