India’s Best Dancer contestant Varun Dagar beaten up by Delhi Police, says ‘won’t let it affect my art’

India's Best Dancer ex-contestant Varun Dagar, who is a busker at Connaught Place in Delhi, was reportedly beaten up by the police.

India's Best Dancer contestant Varun Dagar was beaten up by the police in Delhi's Connaught Place. (Photo: Varun/Instagram)

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A disturbing video of a performer being beaten up by the Delhi Police went viral on social media on Tuesday. It has now come to light that the busker was the former contestant of India’s Best Dancer, Varun Dagar, who was reportedly beaten up by the police and a few bystanders. Speaking exclusively to indianexpress.com, the dancer-singer shared that the incident has left him shaken, however, he wouldn’t let it affect his love for the craft. He said that he doesn’t want to hate anyone but wonders why people have so much hatred in their hearts.

Elaborating on what transpired, Varun shared that he was performing at Delhi’s Connaught Place. It’s his usual spot and he said the police often interrupts and stops their performance. “Because it has happened multiple times in the past, I did not pay much heed. And like most days, a few of us asked them how they can stop us if it’s not against the law. The audience was cheering and hooting for us and that may have angered them,” he shared.

He said that a few parking lot staffers also attacked them. Varun shared that one of them held him by his collar and the other took his guitar. He was dragged publicly and taken to the police van. “I was hit by them, pulled by my hair. I was treated like a criminal,” Varun said.

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“I know the faces of the officer who man the area. These were different ones. Also, who has given the right to the parking lots attendants to hit locals? This was so uncalled for and it has left me really hurt,” Varun shared. He added that he was hit by the officer and forcibly taken to the police station. Once there, he was asked to give in writing that he won’t perform again on the street.

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A post shared by Varun Dagar (@varun_dagar03)

When asked about his future course of action, Varun shared, “Honestly, I don’t want to get deeper into this. Also, I don’t want this incident to affect my love for my craft. I have been one of the first few to perform live on the streets and I want this to become bigger. I understand that a lot of people may be exploiting the medium but it’s also the place where true art finds a platform. I can only hope and pray that people give us a chance to showcase our talent. We have no other ulterior motive.”

Meanwhile, a senior police officer said that after the Traders Association of Connaught Place posted a tweet about “hinderance” caused by artists in the market complex, cognisance was taken and two police officers were sent to the spot on Tuesday to remove Dagar from the area. “Buskers performing in the area cause problem to visitors at the spot and hinder their movement as a lot of crowd gathers around the area where performance happens… accordingly, two beat officers were sent to the spot to remove him. No force was used by us” said the officer.

@LtGovDelhi @CPDelhi @DelhiPolice Sir pls issue public guidelines- @CP_Heartofdelhi is a commercial marketcomplex not a park for artists. @VarunDa9 busker gathers crowds in front of shops & creates nuisance for shopkeepers,when police takes action he cuts a sorry figure for 1/2 https://t.co/dMz3Idzthc

— NDTA-CP-OFFICIAL (@NDTAofficial) April 19, 2023

Sana Farzeen

Sana Farzeen is an assistant editor at Indian Express Online and covers Entertainment across platforms. Apart from writing articles, features and opinions, she enjoys interviewing celebrities on video. An alumna of Calcutta University, Sana has previously worked with the Times Group and Tellychakkar. You can contact her at sana.farzeen@indianexpress.com. ... Read More

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