On August 8 (Sunday), I was a part of the “Unite India movement'' rally organised at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area by Supreme Court lawyer and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay. Ashwini Upadhyay and other leaders addressed the supporters numbering more than 5,000. The rally began around 10 AM and the crowd almost dispersed before 1 PM as it was supposed to rain. Upadhyay focused on the colonial-era rule and pressed on how they were obsolete and needed to be abrogated. People from different parts of the countries had made their presence felt and expressed their support for Upadhyay’s demands of Uniform Civil Code and other such laws. After the event ended around 12:30, I was back home before 1:30 PM.
Next day, I came to know about a shocking video that showed a small crowd of 15-20 people who had nothing to do with Unite India movement, raising anti-Muslim slogans. Why they had nothing to do with the movement? Because the slogans were raised around 5 PM when barely anyone from the movement was present at the site. But after the video went viral, Delhi Police received complaints from Muslim leaders especially Asaduddin Owaisi to register a case against Ashwini Upadhyay alleging Upadhyay behind the slogans. On August 9 (Monday), the Delhi Police registered a case against unknown people in connection with a viral video.
Ashwini Upadhyay, following the allegations, wrote to the Delhi police disassociating himself with the people who allegedly raised the communal slogans. He urged the Delhi police to take strict action against the perpetrators. He assured that the people who indulged in the act were not his supporters. Upadhyay also requested Delhi Police to check the time, place and authenticity of the video. Apart from this, he said that those who have been attributing the particular video, the authenticity of which is yet to be established, to him should also be booked for defamation.
In his written complaint to the Delhi Police Commissioner, he requested action against those who have tried to spread religious hysteria. He criticised the age-old provisions of the Indian Penal Code of 1860, the Police Act of 1861 and the Evidence Act of 1872. He said that until these remain in force, the frenzy steered by religious fanatics in India cannot be controlled. Upadhyay further stated that the rally was from 10 to 12 pm whereas the sloganeering happened around 5 pm. In a letter he wrote that the video was an attempt to defame him. He informed the Delhi Police that some anti-social elements had entered the rally, who had tried to defame the event. He confirmed that he had left the venue at around 12:15 pm, way before the sloganeering happened. He said that the rally was outside the park hotel but the sloganeering happened near Parliament house police station.
After the video went viral, the Delhi police registered a case against unknown people in connection with the matter on Monday. According to the Delhi Police, the organizers were not granted permission from the police to take out the rally, that is why in the FIR under IPC Section-188 (deliberately disobeying order issued by the administration) and disaster for violation of Corona guidelines Section-51 of the Management Act, 2005 (DDMA Act) was also imposed.
On August 10, Ashwini Upadhyay along with five others were formally arrested by the Delhi Police in connection to alleged inflammatory sloganeering in Delhi’ Jantar Mantar.
Upadhyay was summoned at 3 am for examination by the Connaught Place police station. The other detained persons were Deepak Singh Hindu, Vineet Kranti, Preet Singh and Vinod Sharma, who is the head of Sudarshan Vahini. According to an official, Deepak Singh Hindu, the president of an outfit called the Hindu Force, was detained from his house in Northeast Delhi’s Karawal Nagar. A team was stationed outside Deepak’s house and he was picked up around 12.40 am when he returned home.
What’s ironic here is that AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, who himself is infamous for flaring communal tensions, has written to the Delhi Police demanding strict action and arrest of BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay. In the entire episode, the role of Delhi Police is highly questionable because if the permission was not granted for such an event then why in the first place they allowed a gathering of over 5,000. Second, so-called Farmer’s protest has been going on without any police action for last nine months wherein a number of crimes including rape and molestations have taken place. Why is Delhi Police silent? Also, what action did Delhi Police take after the 26 January rampage in Red Fort?
Why did they take no action against anti-national forces during the infamous Shaheen Bagh roadblock which caused the country billions of rupees? Why no action on Maulana Saad whose Tabligi Jamaat event became a super spreader during the first wave of COVID-19 in Delhi? There could be only two reasons. As Delhi Police works under Home Ministry, their hands were tied in the garb of secularism. The other reason could be the lack of will or guts by Delhi Police to take action against Muslims.
In the meantime, Ashwini Upadhyay has been granted bail today and the remaining five people are likely to get bail on 13 August.
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