New Delhi: Bajrang Dal workers gave a ‘hero’s welcome’ to the outfit’s six members who came out of jail after being arrested for vandalizing Christmas decorations at the city’s Magneto Mall in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur on Thursday.
After the six men received bail, Hindutva outfit’s workers welcomed them with garlands, chanting ‘Raghu Pati Raghav Raja Ram’, The Wire reported.
Later, they took out a procession carrying the six men on their shoulders.
Later Rishi Mishra, state coordinator of the Bajrang Dal told the Indian Express that ‘What is wrong in raising slogans against them? The entire issue is related to religious conversions by them in Chhattisgarh. All [right-wing] groups had decided to call for a bandh but a conspiracy was done and our members were put behind bars. So, slogans will be raised on the subject.’
A sessions court granted them bail after a magistrate court in Raipur denied it on December 29.
The right-wing groups called a day-long bandh on December 24 in protest against alleged religious conversions.
Subsequently, a mob armed with wooden sticks stormed into Magneto Mall vandalizing Christmas decorations and installations such as Santa Claus, reindeer, sleighs and snowmen, despite the security officials in the hall tried to stop them.
An FIR filed at the Telibandha police station charged 30-40 unknown men with trespassing, intentionally causing damage among others under BNS sections 331(3), 324(2), 115(2), 191(2) and 190.
After police arrested the six men, around 300 Bajrang Dal workers protested against the arrest outside the police station blocking the traffic for nearly nine hours
However, no FIR has been registered in this incident.