The Delhi Police's crackdown on protesters demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation took an ugly turn on Saturday when a separate set of attackers entered the frame - self-proclaimed protectors of faith.
Four men who claimed to be linked to right-wing outfit Hindu Raksha Dal were arrested on Sunday after a purported video, widely shared on social media, showed a group of men allegedly assaulting young demonstrators, including women, amid protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Police identified them as Raman Saini, 50; Vivekanand alias Vivek, 32; Kapil Kumar, 27; and Ravinder Singh alias Govind Hindu, 35. Two of them, Raman Saini and Ravinder Singh, have been previously booked in attempted murder cases - Saini at Burari police station in North Delhi, Singh in Uttar Pradesh.The incident took place on Saturday at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, as the capital saw intense restrictions following a call by the Cockroach Janata Party and All India Students' Association over alleged Special Intensive Revision irregularities.
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Joint Commissioner of Police, Central Range, Madhur Verma said, “During investigation, we received inputs that three of the four men were planning to flee. One was planning to go to Madhya Pradesh, another to Haridwar, while the third was planning to leave for another district in Uttar Pradesh. They were subsequently traced and arrested.”
The accused were reportedly proceeding towards Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place when the incident took place. The purported clip triggered widespread condemnation. Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, Indian Youth Congress, AISA and CJP shared the video on their official handles.
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While no complaint was filed, Delhi Police took suo motu cognisance and registered an FIR under sections pertaining to causing hurt and wrongful restraint. Police also received a tip-off earlier suggesting the accused might attempt to leave Delhi-NCR and go into hiding.The arrest is important for two reasons. First, it shows protest spaces in Delhi are no longer bipolar between police and protesters. A third actor - politically motivated vigilante groups - is inserting itself, targeting vulnerable protesters. Second, the fact that two accused had prior attempt to murder cases raises questions about how such groups operate with impunity.
If dissent is to be protected, police must protect protesters not just from law and order violations, but from physical attacks by non-state actors.
Tags: #HinduRakshaDal #DelhiPolice #AntiCECProtest #CJP #AISA #Vigilantism #Assault #SuoMotu #MadhurVerma #DelhiProtest