New Delhi: After members of religious outfit Hindu Raksha Dal were purportedly seen attacking a group of Muslim dwellers in a Ghaziabad slum and vandalising their huts, claiming that they were Bangladeshis, in a video widely circulated on social media, the Uttar Pradesh Police Saturday arrested the chief of the group, Pinky Chaudhary, and one of his aides.
The police clarified that the residents were Indians. The attack had allegedly taken place Friday evening. An FIR was filed by a sub-inspector, who allegedly saw Chaudhary thrashing the slum dwellers.
Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra told ThePrint that teams have been deployed to arrest other people seen in purported video, and “strictest possible” action, like charging Chaudhary under the National Security Act, is being “contemplated”.
“There are certain conditions for imposing NSA against an accused. If investigating officers find that the offence has caused disturbance to public order, a final decision will be taken on this matter within the next two-three days,” Mishra said.
“We have slapped Section 117(4) (of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) that deals with offences amounting to mob lynching and offences committed by group of five or more people on the basis of religion, caste and other factors. We are in the process of identifying others seen in the video and they will soon be behind bars,” he added.
The Uttar Pradesh Police booked Chaudhary Friday, and nearly 20 of his aides the next day, under sections 117(4), 191(2) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to extort property, or to constrain to an illegal act), 354 (act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of divine displeasure), 191(2) (rioting), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), and 324(5) (committing mischief and thereby causing loss or damage to the amount of one lakh rupees or upwards).
ThePrint has seen a copy of the FIR filed at Madhuban Bapudham police station on the complaint of a sub-inspector, who allegedly heard commotion at the slum area near Guldhar railway station.
The officer further alleged that he saw Chaudhary, along with 15-20 of his men, abusing Muslim residents, calling them “Bangladeshi” and destroying three-four jhuggis.
“I tried convincing him that people living in the jhuggis were not of Bangladeshi origin, but he did not pay heed and continued sloganeering and violence,” UP Police SI further alleged in the FIR.
Chaudhary has as many as 14 cases against him in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which include serious offences, such as promoting enmity between groups and rioting.
Kavinagar Assistant Commissioner of Police Abhishek Srivastava told ThePrint that Chaudhary and one of his aides Badal were arrested Saturday evening and that they were sent to judicial custody Sunday.
Meanwhile, as Ghaziabad Police are on the hunt for his other associates, the Commissionerate took cognisance of another video posted by one Satyam Pandit on microblogging site X, threatening “Rohingyas and Bangladeshis” to leave India within 24-72 hours.
The Uttar Pradesh Police Saturday booked Pandit under section 196 (promoting enmity between groups) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Kotwali Police station.
Bangladesh is currently dealing with a massive political crisis, with the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina following widespread student-led protests in the country and the appointment of a new interim government. There have been reports of attacks on Hindu minority groups in Bangladesh since the collapse of the Awami League government. Indian Hindu groups have raised concerns over the violence.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)