Delhi Police under pressure from ‘secular, Muslim’ leaders: VHP on being booked for Jahangirpuri shobha yatra

Following communal clashes during a Hanuman Jayanti procession in Jahangirpuri that left nine people injured on Saturday, the Delhi Police filed two separate FIRs, one of which booked VHP, Bajrang Dal and their office-bearers for allegedly taking out a procession without permission.

Gupta narrated how he met Asthana after the incident and how the latter was eventually convinced about taking the procession through “sensitive areas”. “On April 17, we went to meet the Delhi CP. He told us that when I tell you that a certain area is sensitive and you must not take out processions through it, you don’t listen to us. I had to tell him that this way entire Delhi will become sensitive. If we are going to divide Delhi into Hindu and Muslim areas, then tomorrow when Muslims take out Tazia processions, are we going to say it should not cross Hindu areas? He understood and changed his stand,” Gupta said and added that a lot of misinformation was being spread about the incident by the Delhi administration and police.

“On April 15, we had informed the two police stations in writing through which (areas) the Shobha Yatra had to be taken. Information about 20 such processions in the city had been also sent to the police headquarters. Delhi police did not inform us about any of these processions being cancelled by them,” he said. Gupta also alleged that for the Jahangirpuri shobha yatra, the police provided just three policemen for the protection of 1,000 people participating.

He also blamed an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader for allegedly conspiring the attack on the procession in connivance with Bengali and Rohingya Muslims. That this was a conspiracy was even mentioned by Delhi police in its FIR, he said.

“However, the next day, under pressure from Muslim leaders such as Asaduddin Owaisi, Delhi Police changed their stand and began arresting innocent Hindu victims. It is clear that the Delhi Police is working under pressure from leaders such as Owaisi and (Arvind) Kejriwal. To balance the arrest of culprits, it is arresting innocent Hindus,” Gupta said.

He also announced that even if the VHP and Bajrang Dal have to suffer false cases, they would not stop securing the interest of the Hindu society and the nation. “You cannot deprive us of our constitutional right to celebrate Hindu festivals. We are determined to rid Delhi of Jihadi attacks and we will reach our goal,” he said.