Hindutva Bajrang Dal protest turns violent; Muslims allege assault in police presence in Delhi: Video
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A protest organised by the Hindutva right-wing outfit Bajrang Dal over the alleged display of a Pakistani flag during Muharram in Delhi's Sagarpur, despite the Delhi Police dismissing the claim, descended into communal unrest after Muslim residents alleged that the protesters assaulted women from their community.
Videos circulating on social media purportedly show police personnel, deployed to restore order, chasing Muslims with lathis while Hindutva activists continued their assault in the neighbourhood.
The controversy dates back to Muharram, observed on June 26, when a video of a child waving a flag was widely shared online. Bajrang Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers claimed that the flag was Pakistani and demanded action. However, the Delhi Police rejected the allegation, stating that no Pakistani flag had been displayed during the procession.
Despite the police clarification, Bajrang Dal workers, accompanied by BJP members and local residents, assembled in a park in Sagarpur on June 30 to recite the Hanuman Chalisa in what they described as a protest.
Conflicting accounts emerged soon afterwards. Bajrang Dal members alleged that stones were hurled at them from nearby rooftops. Muslim residents, however, maintained that the protesters attacked women after an altercation involving a local woman who had entered the park to collect two goats she had tied there earlier.
According to Foej Media, the woman was abused by individuals gathered at the site, and when other women questioned their conduct, they too were assaulted, along with children who were present.
The tension escalated further with videos showing BJP-linked worker Vipin Rajput addressing the gathering through a loudspeaker while wielding a sickle. In one widely circulated clip, he is heard saying, "Gardan katna chahiye" ("Their necks should be cut open"), as stones are allegedly thrown towards residential houses.
Additional footage from the area appears to show police officers retreating amid the chaos, while other videos purportedly depict officers chasing Muslim residents with lathis even as right-wing activists remained on the streets. The Delhi Police has maintained that the situation in Sagarpur is now peaceful.