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In a dangerous open challenge to Delhi Police, that comes under the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had directed the force to take strict action against those accused in the Jahangirpuri violence, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday reportedly threatened to launch “a battle” against the Police. According to a report in Times of India the VHP has issued this threat of ‘a battle’ if any “action is taken against its activists in connection with the violence during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri.”
The VHP threat was seemingly in response to the news that the Delhi Police had registered an FIR against the Shobha Yatra organisers for taking the procession out without permission. On Monday, police had arrested a man named Prem Sharma, who is ‘a local VHP leader’. However, the police later withdrew its initial statement, citing that Indian Penal Code section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) is a bailable offence and told the media that “the person who had joined the investigation was let off after questioning.” Northwest Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Usha Rangnani said that an “FIR was registered against organisers for carrying out a procession on Saturday evening in the area without permission and one accused person has joined the investigation.”
First these details are shared with media agencies: “A case vide FIR no 441/22 dated 17/04/22 u/s 188 IPC, PS Jahangirpuri has been registered against organisers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal Delhi Prant, Mukherjee Nagar Jila, jhandewalan for carrying out procession (in the evening of 16/04/22 in the area of PS Jahangirpuri ) without any permission and one accused person namely Prem Sharma, Jila Sewa Pramukh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad has been arrested. Further investigation is in progress.”
Then came this revised version: “A case vide FIR no 441/22 dated 17/04/22 u/s 188 IPC has been registered against organisers for carrying out procession (in the evening of 16/04/22 in the area of PS Jahangirpuri) without any permission and one accused person has joined the investigation. Further investigation is in progress. The other two processions which were carried out in morning and afternoon on 16/04/22 in the area of PS Jahangirpuri had due permission.” The revised statement issued by the police clearly does not name the VHP and the Bajrang Dal all.
According to the TOI report, the VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal lashed out at the Delhi police and said the force had “done a big blunder” referring to the reported FIR being registered against VHP and Bajrang Dal activists, and one their members being “arrested.” He reportedly called the police claim that the procession was taken out by the organisers without permission as “absurd” and added that “it seems police have bowed down before “Islamic jihadis” adding “If there was no permission, how police personnel in such a large number were accompanying the yatra (procession)?” Bansal claimed that the VHP is “a law-abiding organisation” and will not “tolerate” such an allegation, stated the news report.
He then went on to launch what seems to be an open threat to the most powerful police force in the country as it directly reports to the MHA. “VHP will launch a battle if they (police) try to lodge a false case or pick any of its activists,” he said. Bansal also reportedly accused the Delhi Police of “high handedness”, saying “all of a sudden, it withdrew a permission granted to a procession which was scheduled to be taken out on Monday. Also, yesterday in the morning, police forcefully stopped a yatra (procession), taken out from Bhalswa village, about 100 metres before the point where it was scheduled to conclude. What is this?”
Interestingly on April 16, the VHP had claimed that there was an “aggression on Hindus” and that it was an “international Jihadi Conspiracy,” and the accused should be booked under NSA.
Press Statement:
Aggression on Hindus is Int’l Jihadi Conspiracy, book the attackers under NSA: @drskj01 pic.twitter.com/wbIzDZxcRh— Vishva Hindu Parishad -VHP (@VHPDigital) April 16, 2022
According to a report in Asianetnews VHP Delhi unit president Kapil Khanna claimed they had permission to take out the shobha yatra on Saturday, “Our yatra was peaceful. We had no weapons. If any unlawful action is taken against our activists or frames them, we will not tolerate that. We will resort to legal options. On Monday Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana had also said “those involved in the clashes, irrespective of their class, creed and religion, will not be spared.”
#दिल्ली_पुलिस #जहांगीरपुरी की घटना में बिना किसी भेदभाव के जांच कर रही है, जो भी अभियुक्त इस घटना में संलिप्त है उसके खिलाफ सख़्त कानूनी कार्रवाई की जाएगी। #Jahangirpuri #DelhiPoliceUpdates @CPDelhi pic.twitter.com/Owz33MKZTP
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) April 18, 2022
सोशल मीडिया, वीडियो फुटेज आदि की जांच हर दृष्टि से जारी है। घटना में संलिप्त कोई भी आरोपी चाहे प्रत्यक्ष अथवा परोक्ष रूप से जुड़ा है, जांच के बाद उसके खिलाफ सख्त कार्रवाई की जाएगी।#Jahangirpuri #DelhiPoliceUpdates @CPDelhi pic.twitter.com/tsAqnKAoHL
— Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) April 18, 2022
It was late Monday evening, that the Delhi Police also arrested 28-year-old Imam alias Sonu, accused of firing a gun during the violence. Police told the media that Sonu was identified from the video widely circulated on social media and was arrested from the Mangal Bazaar road in the district. According to the news report police said “a sophisticated pistol was recovered from his possession.”
A Fact finding report of the Left parties spoke of police inaction
Soon after clashes broke out during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday, a fact finding team of the Left parties (CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), Forward Block) visited the affected areas of Jahangirpuri-C block on April 17. The delegation met with members of both Hindu and Muslim communities, from around 50 households. They also met the Additional DCP Kishen Kumar at the Jahangirpuri police station. According to the fact finding report released to the media on Monday, there were three processions taken out in the area on April 16, to celebrate Hanuman Jayanti.
According to the team, “Bystanders said they saw pistols and swords being waved by the processionists which is confirmed by videos shown on various TV channels. Loud and aggressive slogans were being given. The team was informed that this was not a procession organised by local people, but was organised by the youth wing of the Bajrang Dal with most from outside the area.” They were also told that “the procession was accompanied by two police jeeps.”
Veteran leader Brinda Karat, member, Polit Bureau of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and with K. M. Tewari, Secretary, Delhi State Committee of CPI(M) have also written to the Delhi Police Commissioner, on the “role of the police in the wholly avoidable incidents of violence of a communal nature that occurred in Jahangirpuri on April 16th.” According to the letter, there is “conclusive evidence that the procession taken out by members of the youth wing of the Bajrang Dal was armed with several men carrying naked swords, lathis and also shockingly firearms. These weapons were openly flaunted and brandished during the procession. The police have stated that the procession had police permission. Did the police give permission to carry arms? In fact the processionists who carried arms had clearly violated the Arms Act which has stringent provisions of imprisonment for such violations.”
It puts on record that “there have never been incidents of a communal nature in this area earlier. Two communities have lived together in harmony. This is further evidence that the events were manufactured by outsiders in the procession in the name of shobha yatra.” The letter appeal to the CP to “take action against the police personnel (1) who allowed the procession to carry weapons (2) who were responsible for lack of adequate arrangements (3) who permitted the procession to stop in front of the mosque (4) who are conducting a one sided biassed investigation.”
Related:
Fresh violence reported from Jahangirpuri
Jahangirpuri: “Peace” on the ground, but what about the fear in the hearts?
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