CJP protest: Police apprehend four associates of right-wing outfit for assaulting minor

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Sunday apprehended four people allegedly linked to a right-wing group in connection with assaulting a minor near Civic Centre during a Cockroach Janta Party(CJP)-led protest on Saturday

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Sunday apprehended four people allegedly linked to a right-wing group in connection with assaulting a minor near Civic Centre during a Cockroach Janta Party(CJP)-led protest on Saturday.

Police said they registered a case of causing hurt and illegal restraint after taking suo motu cognisance of an assault video appearing on social media. (HT Archive)

Police identified the accused as Raman Saini, 50, and Vivekanand, 32, residents of Delhi, and Kapil Kumar, 27, and Ravinder Singh, 35, residents of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Police said they registered a case of causing hurt and illegal restraint after taking suo motu cognisance of an assault video appearing on social media.

Police said the accused claimed to be members of the Hindu Raksha Dal, a right-wing outfit, adding that they are probing their past criminal records, if any.

A senior police officer said the accused allegedly told the police that they assaulted the protesters as the latter had confronted them earlier. However, police said an initial probe found no evidence to support the claim.

According to the purported video, a minor was seen being dragged on a road, assaulted and threatened. A group of men also threatened a few journalists.

Police said no one, including the minor, complained, and that the case was suo motu.

Meanwhile, the outfits chief Pinky Chaudhary alias Bhupender Tomar on Sunday posted messages and videos on social media supporting the group members and threatening CJP.

“I had said don’t mess with the Hindu Raksha Dal. We won’t back down. These are my warriors, working for Sanatan Dharma with full strength. We have nothing to do with politics, but if someone targets Sanatan, we will target them and send them right where they belong. People can do what they do; I’m ready to protect my warriors.”

In another post tagging a video of an assault, he said, “These are my warriors. Wherever cockroaches are found, we will fix their minds.”

HT reached out to police about Chaudhary’s posts but did not receive a comment by the time of the protest.

Meanwhile, the minor whose father was allegedly targeted by right-wing content creator Swatantra Bhardwaj during the June-July protest, told HT that on Saturday she was allegedly followed by two people in Connaught Place.

“They hurled abuses and threatened me. They asked me why I’ve joined the protest. These men roam freely and target us,” she alleged. Police did not respond to HT’s request for comments.