Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad police on Monday arrested 10 individuals after taking cognisance of videos allegedly showing members of Hindu Raksha Dal (HRD) distributing swords to people and telling them to “defend” themselves against attacks, officials said.
Atul Kumar Singh, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) of Shalimar Garden circle, said that 10 persons linked to the group were arrested by the police on Monday. “The FIR also named HRD chief Pinky Chaudhary, who is currently absconding.”
Police said the FIR was registered against 16 people, including Chaudhary, under BNS sections 191(2) for rioting, 191(3) for rioting with a deadly weapon, 127(2) for wrongful confinement, and also under provisions of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act at Shalimar Garden police station.
“We have registered an FIR in connection with the viral videos. The videos show that the members of HRD were displaying and distributing swords to people. This act also caused fear among the locals. Chaudhary has also been named in the FIR, and he is absconding at present. The members of HRD were highlighting the issues in Bangladesh. We took cognisance of the videos and took appropriate action,” said Nimish Patil, DCP of the trans-Hindon zone.
“Other relevant sections will also be added on the basis of evidence,” DCP added.
Pinky Chaudhary, the chief of the group, could not be contacted despite repeated calls.
“The way our Hindu brothers have been killed in Bangladesh, we are distributing swords to our Hindu brothers. Hindus should keep swords to defend themselves. We have distributed about 250 swords, and we will continue to distribute. We have distributed these locally,” Chaudhary allegedly said in one of the videos.
Chaudhary and his outfit gained limelight in 2014, when they allegedly led an attack on the Aam Aadmi Party office in Kaushambi. In 2016, he contested the mayoral bypolls of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation as an independent candidate and came fourth. HRD also made news in January 2020 when it claimed responsibility for the violence on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in Delhi.
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
Officials said that the videos showed that swords were displayed outside the HRD office in Shalimar Garden Extension 2. The FIR stated that members of HRD were also carrying out displays of weapons in hand and also raising slogans in streets.