The incident comes amid heightened tensions following the killing of a young Hindu man by a mob during recent violent protests in Bangladesh. The incident has triggered protests by Hindu nationalist groups in several parts of India.
Ten members of the Hindu Raksha Dal (HRD) have been arrested for allegedly distributing swords from their office at Shalimar Garden, the Ghaziabad police said on Tuesday. Eight swords were also recovered from the members of the outfit, police said.
According to the police, a case was registered against 40 people, including 30 unidentified individuals, at Shalimar Garden police station and an investigation was launched after a video showing the distribution of swords went viral on social media.
“The police received information on December 29 that Hindu Raksha Dal’s national president, Pinky Chaudhary, along with his associates, was distributing swords at the organisation’s office in Shalimar Garden X-2. The video showed several people holding swords, raising slogans and indulging in aggressive demonstrations,” the police said in a statement.
The accused, arrested near a telephone exchange in the area, have been identified as Kapil Kumar, Shyam Prasad, Arun Jain, Rampal, Amit Singh, Amit Kumar, Amit Arora, Mohit Kumar, Devendra Baghel and Ujala Singh.
The main accused, Pinky Chaudhary, is currently absconding. Following the arrests, Chaudhary posted another video on social media that shows him standing in front of a vacant plot. In the video, he says, “I want to tell all of my brothers…We distributed swords at the office this morning. After that, approximately 250-300 police personnel arrived there and I have received news that some of my workers have been arrested.”
He added that his intention was to “make Hindu families strong”. In his defence, he also referred to the ongoing situation in Bangladesh.
During questioning, the arrested accused told police that they were associated with the HRD and had gathered to distribute swords on the instructions of Chaudhary. The swords, they said, were also arranged by him. Police said legal action is being taken and the criminal antecedents of all the arrested people are being verified.
Curated by Shiv Shakti Mishra
