2 detained for shouting Pakistan Zindabad slogans hours before R-Day

Two men were detained after they were seen allegedly shouting ‘Pakistan zindabad’ slogans near Khan Market metro station in New Delhi during the early hours on Sunday.

In the backdrop of the security apparatus being on a high alert because of the Republic Day celebrations on Tuesday, passersby called the police control room to report the incident.

The two men told police that they had hired yulu bikes and named them Hindustan and Pakistan, to race with each other. They said they raised the slogans during the context of the race, senior police officers said. No arrests have been made in the case so far, they said.

The incident took place around 1 am, when some locals and passersby reported the matter to the police. The call triggered panic among the security agencies as the New Delhi area has been put under multi-layer security cover due to the Republic Day celebrations on Tuesday.

According to the police, a PCR call was received at around 1 am at Tughlaq Road police station reporting that some people were shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans near Khan Market metro station.

A police team found two men and three women present at the spot. "They had hired Yulu bikes. On questioning, it came to light that these two families, along with their children, had come for sightseeing around India gate and had rented Yulu bikes. They started racing on Yulu bikes and had named the bikes after countries, which also included Pakistan. They said that during the race, they shouted those slogans to cheer for the two respective teams," said a police officer, who wished not to be named.