Bhupinder Tomar, alias Pinky Chaudhary, the leader of the Hindu Raksha Dal, surrendered to the Delhi Police on Tuesday for allegedly shouting hate chants at Jantar Mantar on August 8. Pinky came at the Mandir Marg police station in Delhi on the shoulders of his followers, who chanted “Jai Shri Ram” in support of him.
After recordings of him and other protestors reportedly screaming communal slurs surfaced on August 8, Chaudhary eluded capture. On the other hand, the protestors say that they were calling for the repeal of “colonial-era” legislation. Pinky released a video on Monday in which he stated that he would surrender to the Delhi Police on Tuesday. He insisted that in his video, he and his followers did nothing illegal.
Read also; Delhi Court Refuses Protection to Hindu Raksha Dal Leader
Pinky was heard stating on the tape, “I will get myself arrested tomorrow, August 31, around 12pm at Connaught Place police station and would assist with authorities during the investigation.” Pinky also stated in his video that the charges levelled against him are “false and unfounded.”
In addition to Pinky, BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, Deepak Kumar, Deepak Singh, Preet Singh, Sushil Tiwari, Vinit Bajpai, Uttam Upadhyay, and Vinod Sharma were detained for allegedly shouting communal slogans and violating Covid-19 procedures. They organized a ‘Bharat Jodo Andolan’ demonstration with their followers, during which activists believe sectarian slurs were yelled. Upadhyay, who is also free on bail, maintains that no communal chanting was heard.
