Several Hindu organisations in Delhi’s Inderlok area have requested permission from the Delhi Police to recite the Hanuman Chalisa below the Inderlok metro station on Tuesday (12th March). However, the police have denied them permission for the Hanuman Chalisa recital and have increased deployment in the area.
According to the police, to maintain law and order, security has been increased and Paramilitary forces have been deployed along with Delhi Police.
Some videos have surfaced online where members of Hindu outfits are seen staging a sit-in protest outside the Delhi Police headquarters while reciting Hanuman Chalisa and songs asking Hindus to wake up – ‘Jaago to ek bar Hindu Jaago to’.
On Tuesday, members of the Hindu Raksha Dal protested outside the Delhi Police headquarters regarding the suspension of a sub-inspector. The officer kicked individuals who were offering namaz on a road in the Inderlok area.
“If they have rights to offer namaz on roads, we have rights too to chant Hanuman Chalisa on the roads as well. Our main demand is to bring the sub-inspector back on duty and to cancel his suspension orders,” a Hindu Raksha Dal leader told PTI.
Namaz row rocked Inderlok area last week
Evidently, the brave officer SI Manoj Tomar, after repeated urgings to clear the road falling on deaf ears, had to use force to clear the road and prevent inconvenience to commuters, and in the act, he “kicked” a Muslim man who was among the Namazis offering prayers on the road.
It is pertinent to note that the area was recently rocked by an irate Muslim mob who gheraoed the police personnel in the Inderlok area and had even attempted to harm police officials, venting their anger and shouting abuses against SI Manoj Tomar.
Outraging against the on-duty officer, the Namazis aggressively started encircling the Police officer Manoj Tomar. Following this, the officer and the mob had a heated argument. Some voices in the background can heard saying “Maaro saale ko… (beat the scoundrel)”. Notably, the police officer was suspended by the Delhi police under a so-called disciplinary action.
However, several videos of the incident make clear that the Muslim mob was trying to block the road for Namaz in conflict with the police and later became aggressive after SI Tomar intervened to stop the Namaz that was blocking traffic in the area. Additionally, netizens have also started to come out in support of the Delhi police and the officer who was trying to prevent the namaz from being offered on the road.
Though the Delhi Police initially ‘denied’ claims that SI Manoj Tomar was attacked by a mob, they later admitted that a mob had indeed clashed with police officials on 8th March, adding that SI Tomar was not present there when the ‘scuffle’ took place. They clarified that the claim of Manoj Tomar being attacked is wrong.