Delhi Police asks protestors not to burn effigy, give lesson in ‘green’ stir

When asked by the police not to burn an effigy to avoid causing air pollution, protestors in Delhi’s Shahdara, complied. Instead, they registered their protest by hurling shoes and chappals at Babur’s effigy.

When members of a Hindu outfit decided to burn an effigy of Mughal ruler Babur in east Delhi on Sunday afternoon, the local police took care of the law-and-order situation by putting forward their own ‘clean air’ agenda. Holding placards, the policemen urged the agitators to refrain from burning the effigy to avoid causing air pollution.

Police came prepared with placards and posters asking agitators to desist from burning an effigy during a protest in east Delhi on Sunday, November 18, 2018. (HT Photo)

The agitators complied. Instead of burning the effigy, they registered their protest by hurling shoes and chappals at Babur’s effigy.

On Sunday afternoon, the demonstrators — members of the United Hindu Front (UHF), an outfit that claims to be an amalgam of several Hindu organisations — had hit the streets of Shahdara to demand renaming of all areas named after the Mughal king. “There is an assembly constituency, a bus terminal and a colony named after Babur in Delhi. Our demand was to have them renamed,” SK Tiwary of UHF said. The protest was to end with the burning of Babur’s effigy.

But the local police had come prepared. “We had a few sheets of white papers and sketch pens from a drawing competition we had organised in a school. When we got to know of their plan to burn the effigy, we quickly prepared some placards,” said a senior police officer not authorised to speak to the media.

One such placard read, “Jan-jan ki bas yahi pukaar, dharti bachao abki baar. Putla na jalaao meri sarkaar, aapka hoga bada upkaar (The people have only one request, save the earth this time. Pease do not light an effigy, we will be very grateful).” The placard idea and the slogans were by Subodh Goswami, assistant commissioner of police (Nandnagri).

Protesters complied with police’s request of not burning effigy as it would have caused pollution. (HT Photo )

The act that thoroughly surprised the demonstrators led them to huddle up and take a decision. “The police told us that burning an effigy was not the best way to raise a demand when the city is struggling with pollution. It wouldn’t have been right to overlook the police’s request. So, we decided to lay the effigy on the ground and thrash it with shoes,” said Jai Bhagwan Goyal, UHF’s international working president.

Soon after, the police were able to seize control of the situation. “Once we had rained a few blows on the effigy, the police took it away, saying that Babur was dead and his body was required for postmortem,” said Goyal.

The agitators responded by shouting slogans in favour of the Delhi Police.

According to Atul Kumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (north-east), the fresh idea was in line with similar other campaigns such as plantation drives and awareness campaigns organised by the police in schools. “It was encouraging to see the protesters agreeing to do their bit for the environment by not burning the effigy,” said Thakur.