On December 25, Delhi Police stopped allegedly International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) volunteers from doing Harinam Sankirtan and distributing copies of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita at Connaught Place, Delhi.
ISKCON volunteer, on condition of anonymity, told OpIndia that they had planned to organize Harinam Sankirtan at Connaught Place, Delhi, on December 25. The idea was to sing songs in praise of Bhagwan Krishna and distribute Shrimad Bhagavad Gita to the people to bring them closer to spirituality. While they were singing songs, Delhi Police personnel approached them and asked them to stop.
In a video that OpIndia accessed, a volunteer was seen talking to the Police personnel. The Police personnel asked him if he knew he could be fined for gathering a crowd at a public place [under the pretext of Covid-19 protocols]. The volunteer tried to tell him that they were not asking anyone to gather around them, to which the Police personnel said, “If you sing at a public place, the people will gather around you.”
The volunteer further told OpIndia that they were fined Rs 2,000 for allegedly breaking the law. After they were fined, the Police allegedly snatched copies of Gita from the volunteers. The volunteer alleged that the Police was called by someone who did not like the book distribution drive. At the beginning of the video, a man in a civil dress was seen showing Police a video on his phone. The same man was seen arguing with the volunteers in the video accessed by OpIndia.
The rule should be the same for everyone
The volunteer further said that if there was a rule against gathering at a public place or there was a ban on organizing a small event that may attract a crowd, then it should have been the same for everyone. He said, “The rule should be the same for all and not just us. It was painful to see that while we were stopped from singing bhajans at Connaught Place, other performers who attracted a lot of crowd were not stopped.”
He shared a video from later that day in which a hip-hop dancer was performing at Connaught Place without any hindrance from the Police. He said, “Our volunteers are now scared that if we go to Connaught Place again, the Police will stop us from doing Harinam Sankirtan.”
The Delhi Police, however, has denied allegations of fining ISKCON volunteers for distributing copies of Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta.
Delhi Police didn’t challan anyone for distributing copies of Shrimad Bhagwad Gita.
— DCP New Delhi (@DCPNewDelhi) December 27, 2021
Responding to the report by OpIndia, Delhi Police said that they have not challaned anyone for the same.
What is Harinam Sankirtan?
Harinam Sankirtan is the loud public and congregational chanting of the maha-mantra accompanied by musical instruments. It was introduced by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a 15th Century Saint.
Note: This report is updated with the statement issued by Delhi Police.
