During the peak of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, a Delhi High Court lawyer, DS Bindra became popular for offering langar or free food to protesters gathered at Shaheen Bagh, one of the most prominent protest venues. Bindra reportedly sold his flat to fund his campaign to feed the hungry protesters. He also organised langar at the Chand Bagh sit-in protest site in Mustafabad and also in Khureji for around five days, helping feed hundreds of protesters.
While many appreciated the gesture, right-wing trolls were quick to dismiss it as a publicity stunt by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) of which Bindra was said to be a member. However, Bindra had told media persons at the time that he did not support any political party.
Now, Bindra has been mentioned in a chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police in the matter of the killing head constable Ratan Lal. SabrangIndia has obtained a copy of the chargesheet. Some of the accused named in the chargesheet have mentioned DS Bindra as one of the organisers of the sit-in protest at Chand Bagh, to the extent that he ordered that tents be set up at the site and langar be cooked and served. The accused also stated that at an allegedly secret meeting with other organisers, Bindra spoke about the CAA as being anti-minorities and that the Sikh community was here to support them so that the barbarism of 1984 was never repeated. The accused also stated that speeches in similar vein were made at the protest site.
Statements of two beat constables were also mentioned where they said that Bindra, along with Salim Khan, Slaim Munna, Suleman Siddiqui, Ayub, Athar, Shadab, Upasana, Ravish and others, was one of the organisers of the protest at Chand Bagh.
However, it is noteworthy that Bindra himself has not been named as one of the accused in the case. But his presence at the location, and role as one of the alleged organisers of the protest is being stretched to suggest that Bindra, with his words and actions, may have instigated the riots that took place in the area later in February, specifically an instance in which head constable Ratan Lal was killed on February 24, 2020. It says that after Salim Munna allegedly made a provocative speech at the site of the sit-in protest people started converging there with lathis, rods etc. Police tried to stop Munna from continuing with his allegedly inflammatory speech, but were outnumbered. At around 1 P.M, DCP Sharda Amit Sharma was present at the site with policemen, including the two constables who made the statement referred to in the chargesheet. They were first surrounded by women and then attacked by a violent mob. This led to the death of Ratan Lal.
A total of 17 people have been named in the chargesheet that suggests that the “incident was a consequence of a deep-rooted conspiracy which was hatched under the garb of democratically opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act.”
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