Delhi Police detained Deepak Singh Hindu, who claims to be president of an outfit called the Hindu Force, from his house in Northeast Delhi’s Karawal Nagar late Monday night for his alleged role in raising inflammatory, anti-Muslim slogans at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
The protest march against “Colonial-era laws” was called by former Delhi BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay, and police have so far identified four men — Deepak, Vineet Kranti, Pinky Bhaiya and Uttam Malik — using footage from the event.
A team of the Inter-State-Cell of Crime Branch was tasked with conducting raids to pick up the men, with Special CP (Crime Branch) Praveer Ranjan coordinating the operation. “A team was stationed outside Deepak’s house and he was picked up around 12.40 am when he returned from outside. Police are questioning him about others at the event,” said a senior police officer.
Said another senior officer: “On July 31, Deepak had called people to come to a mazaar in East Delhi’s Patparganj to read the Hanuman Chalisa.”
As first reported by The Indian Express, the event at Jantar Mantar lacked police permission. On Monday morning, police had registered a case against unknown persons under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) as well as under the DDMA Act pertaining to violation of Covid guidelines.
This story first appeared on indianexpress.com