Who is Natasha Narwal? 2020 Delhi riots case accused of traveling to UK for academic purposes | Today’s news
The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed activist and researcher Natasha Narwal, who spent more than a year in custody before securing bail in an alleged larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, to travel to the United Kingdom for academic purposes.
Narwal, a PhD student, has applied for permission to visit the UK from November 2 to December 1 to attend an academic conference and conduct research.
Read also | 2020 Delhi riots: Former AAP councilor Tahir Hussain sentenced to 2 years in jail
What did the court say about her visit to the UK?
Justice Amit Bansal directed the trial court to issue Narwala’s passport and ordered that any pending circular against her remain suspended during the period of travel allowed.
The court noted that her academic commitments at a UK university required her to be physically present to present her research.
“The court is inclined to allow the petitioner to travel to the United Kingdom with suitable safeguards. The petitioner would be permitted to travel to the United Kingdom from November 2 to December 1,” he said.
Narwal and her brother were asked to submit written undertakings that they would return to India and not seek asylum in the UK. She was also ordered to provide personal bonds ₹50,000 each in two riot-related cases.
The court further ordered her to surrender her passport within 48 hours of her return to India and to refrain from commenting on the merits of the pending cases during her visit to the UK.
Cases related to the Delhi riots
The Delhi Police named Narwal as an accused in three cases related to protests during the 2020 Northeast Delhi violence. These include an alleged larger conspiracy case in which he faces charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
She was taken into custody in 2020 and spent over a year in jail before securing bail in 2021.
On February 2, 2020, communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi after violence between Citizenship Bill supporters and protesters spiraled out of control, leaving at least 53 dead and over 700 injured, PTI reported.
The Delhi Police accused Narwal along with Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, Umar Khalid and others of being among the “masterminds” of the violence that took place when President Donald Trump and other dignitaries were in the US capital.
Read also | A Delhi court rejects Umar Khalid’s plea to look after his ailing mother
Who is Natasha Narwal?
Narwal, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student and women’s rights activist, is a founding member of Pinjra Tod, according to Front Line Defenders. Founded in 2015, the collective brings together female students and graduates of Delhi universities to oppose restrictive hostel rules, including curfews, and challenges measures that restrict women’s freedom of movement in the name of security.
According to The Polis Project, Narwal grew up witnessing her father’s activism on the teaching front of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, which shaped her understanding of the struggles for social justice in India.
She moved to Delhi in 2006 to study at Delhi University. Her interest in social and political issues led her to join the Students Federation of India (SFI), a student organization associated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). As a candidate of SFI, she ran for the post of president and secretary of the Delhi University Students’ Union in the elections.
Narwal completed her BA in Modern History from Hindu College and MA from DU’s Department of History. In 2012, she enrolled in the MPhil program in development practice at the University of Dr. BR Ambedkara in Delhi, where she studied the access of tribal communities to land rights in Rayagada district, Urina. She completed the program in 2014.
Research and professional work
During her break from studying, Narwal worked with the Center for the Study of Developing Societies and the Society for Rural Urban and Tribal Initiative. She has volunteered for research projects, contributed to a documentary on khaps, patriarchal village bodies that wield considerable social influence, and done freelance translation work.
She has worked as an investigative journalist for Newsclick, while her writing has appeared in The Wire and Kafila. In 2018, she joined the Center for Historical Studies at JNU as a research fellow and began her PhD work on the history of the women’s movement in Delhi.
