Kanpur locality in a tizzy after ‘I love Pakistan’ balloons sold, 2 detained

Hindu Yuva Vahini members protest, police launch investigation and detain two people involved in the sales

A shop owner and a wholesale goods supplier were detained after balloons with ‘I love Pakistan’ markings were sold at a provisions store in Kanpur’s Govind Nagar area this week.

One of the suspect balloons that were found at a local shop whose owner and supplier were detained by police.(HT photo)

Ajay Pratap Singh, a Hindu Yuva Vahini member, reported to police on Thursday that three packets of balloons that he bought from Seema Provision Store for his son’s birthday had “I love Pakistan’ printed on them.

Vahini activists held protests and Singh submitted a written complaint at the police station, following which cops stepped in.

A raid was carried out and packets of balloons with ‘I love Pakistan’ and ‘Habibi’, which loosely translate into ‘my love’ or ‘my darling’, were seized from the vendor.

“We have detained the retail vendor and supplier whose identities have been established as Sunny and Sameer Vig respectively,” said Amit Singh, station house officer (SHO) of Govind Nagar police station.

Both are residents of Govind Nagar.

They said the balloons came from ‘Gubbarey Wali Gali’ in Sadar Bazar, one of the biggest and oldest wholesale markets in Delhi.

A team has been sent there for further investigation.

A police complaint for making ‘assertions prejudicial to national-integration’ under the Indian Penal Code has been made, said the police.

“It was a matter of grave concern and the police should properly investigate and initiate tough action,” said Sumit Kashyap, state general secretary of Hindu Samanvaya Samiti, an affiliate body of Yuva Hindu Vahini.

Inspector general of police, Kanpur, Alok Singh, appealed to citizens to immediately share information with the police if they come more such instances.