After cop kicks worshippers in Inderlok, high alert in Delhi’s mixed areas

Apart from Inderlok, police vigil was intensified in other parts of the city having mixed population, in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, officers said

New Delhi: A day after tension triggered north Delhi’s Inderlok locality after a Delhi Police sub-inspector allegedly kicked and manhandled worshippers performing Friday prayers outside a local mosque, and videos of the incident being widely share on the social media, heavy deployment of security personnel continued around the neighbourhood on Saturday to avoid any communal flare up, senior officers aware of the matter said.

Security personnel in Inderlok on Saturday. (Vipin Kumar/HT photo)

Apart from Inderlok, police vigil was also intensified in other parts of the city having mixed population, in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the officers aware of the security and law and order plans said.

They said the police are also keeping a watch on social media posts to identify people who may try to create unrest through inflammatory posts, videos and photos, the officers said.

On Saturday morning, senior police officers from the north district along with security personnel carried out a flag march in the areas around the Inderlok mosque as part of their area peace maintaining exercise. The officers also included members of the local Aman or Peace committees, and representatives of local residents, in the march.

“The situation in the area is normal and no untoward incident has been reported. The security deployment is in place to maintain law and order and calm in the area. We carried out a march in the morning along with the representatives of all sections of society. Local residents are cooperating with the police in maintaining normalcy,” said deputy commissioner of police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena.

The accused sub-inspector, Manoj Tomar, who was in-charge of the Inderlok police post, was suspended on Friday, soon after the top brass of the Delhi Police came across the purported videos in which he was seen allegedly kicking and hitting worshippers performing Friday prayers on the road outside the mosque, commonly known as “Badi Masjid”. It is located close to the Inderlok Metro station. Tomar also allegedly displaced the mat, used by worshippers to offer prayers, with his foot.

No complaints were received by the police against him or the people from the other group who were captured on the videos confronting him at the incident spot. No first information report (FIR) was registered till Saturday evening, the police said.

Soon after the incident, several local residents and those worshipping inside the mosque gathered on the road and outside the police post adjacent to the masjid. The road was blocked for over two hours, throwing traffic out of gear in Inderlok and adjoining areas, including Sarai Rohilla and Shastri Nagar.

People from various sections of society, including political leaders, condemned the act after the videos of the incident went viral on social media. Many of them tagged the Delhi Police in their posts.

A senior police official said that an officer of the rank of assistant commissioner of police is inquiring into the matter and will examine each official who was present on the spot.

“A report will be submitted into the incident,” he said.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday condemned the incident in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “The policeman who was kicking the namazis has been suspended. But we all know that he got so much courage because it has now become a matter of pride in a section of the society to treat Muslims like this.”

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