Jahangirpuri violence: VHP, Bajrang Dal men held for taking out yatra sans permission

One member each of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have been booked for organising a shobha yatra to mark Hanuman Jayanti in Northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on April 16.

The Delhi police booked 20 people for the communal violence that broke out in Jahangirpuri following the shobha yatra.

The Delhi Police have registered a first information report (FIR) against Prem Sharma, the zila sewa pramukh of the VHP and Braham Prakash of the Bajrang Dal for carrying out the yarta without getting due permissions. “On April 15, Prem Sharma, the zila sewa pramukh of the VHP, and Braham Prakash, co-department secretary, filed an application – DD (daily diary) no 83A in the Jahangirpuri police station for carrying out a procession. They have been informed that for such permission, they should take permission from DCP (northwest),” states the FIR.

The Delhi police stated that the April 16 Shobha Yatra was carried out without permission. “Prem Sharma and Braham Prakash personally gathered all the people illegally and without taking permission, they organised a procession, which is a violation of a notification issued by ACP (Jahangirpuri) on April 1.. Legal action under IPC Section 188 should be taken against them,” the FIR stated.

VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal countered the Delhi police claim and said they had the required permissions. Bansal said the VHP will move the court against the police for “framing” their workers. “We never organise any rally without permission. This time too, we got permission from the Delhi Police. Someone should ask them why they made security arrangements for our shobha yatra if we did not have permission…”

Two letters submitted by the VHP’s Delhi branch (Mukherjee Nagar district) on April 14 to Jahangirpuri and Mahendra Park police stations had police stamps on them. The Indian Express reported that the letters asked for security and traffic management during the shobha yatra to mark Hanuman Jayanti. They were unsigned but mentioned the name of Braham Prakash, co-department secretary.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Tuesday (April 19) got the custody of Ansar and Aslam, prime accused in the Jahangirpuri clashes. The police are investigating if Ansar gave shape to the communal clashes or he acted on someone’s call. The police are also investigating a man, who has a criminal background, for allegedly providing a gun to Aslam.

Also read: Majority of shops shut in Jahangirpuri, situation remains tense

Sonu Chikna aka Younus, the man who fired a gun during the shobha yatra, has been arrested. He was caught on the camera firing the gun. When a police team went to Sonu’s house, his family and neighbours pelted stoned at the police team. Additional Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) was called to control the situation.

Nine people, including eight police personnel and a civilian, were injured in the clashes during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on April 16.