By Scroll Staff
The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested a man for allegedly assaulting another man and forcing him to shout “Hindustan zindabad” and “Pakistan murdabad” slogans in Northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas area, the Hindustan Times reported.
The assailant was identified as Ajay Goswami, a resident of Old Garhi village and a dairy trader. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Sanjay Kumar Sain said Goswami is an accused in the 2020 Delhi violence and was recently released on bail. Sain, however, did not divulge details about the nature of Goswami’s involvement in the riots or the status of his case. The police clarified that the latest incident in Khajuri Khas was not related to last year’s violence.
Goswami was arrested after a video of the incident was circulated on social media. Sain said that Goswami beat up the victim while another accused, Deepak, recorded the video on his mobile phone. Deepak is yet to be arrested.
Sain refused to identify the victim, though an unidentified police officer said he is a Muslim man.
The Delhi Police took cognisance of the video and filed a criminal case for voluntarily causing hurt and wrongful restraint at the Khajuri Khas police station.
In the video, purportedly shot on Tuesday, the attacker is seen holding the collar of the victim, who is lying on the floor and chanting “Pakistan murdabad” and “Hindustan zindabad”. Another person, not seen in the video, tells the victim to raise his voice even as the victim requests the attacker to stop beating him. However, the assailant pays no heed to the request, picks him up and throws him on the ground. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.
The deputy commissioner of police also claimed that the victim has a criminal record and was allegedly involved in a murder and robbery case. “On Tuesday, the man was allegedly trying to enter Goswami’s dairy, purportedly with an intention to steal, when he was caught,” Sain said. But the police have not registered any case of theft or attempted theft against the victim.
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