Just a day after a team of NE Delhi’s Jafrabad police station arrested two members of Pinjra Tod in connection with the anti-CAA protests in February, a Delhi court granted them bail saying that IPC 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) was not maintainable as they were merely protesting.  

The Wire

That respite was short-lived though. The Delhi Police rearrested the two women today in a separate case minutes after they were granted bail. 

Today’s arrest has been made on an alleged murder case linked to the riots. They have been sent to two days of police custody after Delhi Police had asked for 14 days, Indian Express reported. 

Hindustan Times

Just minutes after they were granted bail, the investigating officer of the Crime Branch, Kuldeep Singh moved an application seeking their arrest in a murder case. The police said that the accused needed to be interrogated ‘to know the conspiracy behind the incident and the identity of other accused has to be established’. 

Indian Express

According to reports, the new case was registered under sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 332 (causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 307 (attempt to murder), 302 (murder), 427, 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 188 (disobedience of public servant’s order) of the IPC and other relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Earlier, while granting them bail, the court had said: 

Facts of the case reveal that the accused were merely protesting against the NRC and CAA, and the accused did not indulge into any violence… Also, the accused have strong roots in the society and they are well educated. Accused are ready to cooperate with the police regarding the investigation.

They were arrested from their homes around 6 pm on Saturday, Pinjra Tod said in a post on Facebook: 

The police did not give reasons to their family members for their arrest… Many students and activists have been arrested by the Delhi Police in the last couple of months. We strongly condemn this hounding of democratic activists and students being carried out by the state and appeal to the student community and all democratic-minded citizens to remain vigilant and strong in our struggles in face of this repression. 

Twitter also had a lot to say about the re-arrest of the activists. 

The counsel for the activists opposed their arrest, saying that both Narwal and Kalita were being implicated in the case with ‘mala fide intent’.