Following the Delhi Police’s crackdown against the rioting mob at the Jamia Millia Islamia University, many unfounded rumours and fake news are doing the rounds on the Internet.
One such rumour which has gained massive traction is about a man who continued to pound lathis on one of the protestors even as few of her female colleagues flanked him to safeguard him from the raining batons.
Social Media is abuzz with the rumours that the man in red T-shirt and jeans who is donning a riot gear was actually not a policeman but an RSS volunteer. The picture of the man, which has now gone viral, has triggered speculation among many about the identity of the man. While rumours were flying about him being an RSS member, there were others who claimed that the man is a civilian as he was not wearing the police uniform.
However, putting an end to these wild rumours, the Delhi Police have repudiated the claims that the man is associated with a political outfit as well as him being a civilian. Chinmoy Biswal, the deputy commissioner of police(south-east), said that the man in question is a constable with the Anti-Auto Theft Squad(AATS).
Biswal further added that the members of AATS generally discharge their duty in civil clothes because of the nature of their work that involves detecting and stopping crimes.
According to police, the man whose picture is now going viral is a constable in his early thirties. However, they withheld from revealing his identity, citing security concerns.
One of the AATS squad members, Love Atrey, who was accompanying the constable said that their team was summoned on Sunday to take control of the deteriorating law and order situation in the wake of spiralling violence during the protests.
About 12-14 of us straight away headed to the spot without changing out attires. We donned on the anti-riot jackets and wore our motorcycle helmets before proceeding to control the mob,” Atrey told Hindustan Times.