India, July 9 -- The 2020 riots in northeast Delhi were not spontaneous but a well-planned and well-thought-out conspiracy aimed at creating divisions on religious lines and embarrassing the country globally, the Delhi police told the Delhi high court on Wednesday, arguing against bail to student activists Gulfisha Fatima, Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, and United Against Hate (UAH) founder Khalid Saifi.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who appeared for the Delhi police, urged the bench of justices Navin Chawla and Shailender Kaur to not treat the case as a case of "mere riots" but as one where the accused had conspired to cause communal divide, and destabilise India's unity, law and order.

The bench has reserved its verdict.

"One of the in...