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Thursday, March 28, 2024

7 journalists attacked in Delhi; Congress worker killed in Ludhiana

India7 journalists attacked in Delhi; Congress worker killed in Ludhiana

Levels of hate speech, killing, and violence against journalists, and political workers are being elevated across the country.

A Congress worker, identified as Mangat Ram (53) president of ward No 52 was brutally murdered by a gang in Ludhiana last night, no one has been arrested till now.   Earlier, Congress Worker Sardar Iqbal Singh and Congress panch Sh. Makhan Kanga was also murdered.  Earlier, the Congress supporters report that ever since Aam Aadmi Party came to power recently, they have killed Congress workers in Punjab and sought accountability.

However, this time, the murder was done by SAD supporters, and the Congress worker was battered to death by SAD workers.

According to the police the victim, Mangat Ram, used to prevent the accused from hanging around the temple in the colony as he suspected them of harassing women.

One of the friends of Mangat Ram was constructing a house in the street, but the accused were raising objections over the construction and filed a complaint with the Municipal Corporation.

On Sunday the accused had called on Mangat Ram for a meeting to settle the matter. As he reached there the accused along with their aides attacked him with clubs and rods hammering him to death. The accused escaped from the spot and the residents rushed Mangat to the hospital, where the doctors declared him dead.

Inspector Nardev Singh, SHO at police station Tibba said that a murder case has been lodged against Paramjit Pamma, Ranjit Bajaj, with a quest for their arrest. A heavy police force has been deployed in the area after the incident.

Hate speech in Delhi at ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ and 7 journalists beaten at event

Seven journalists were attacked while covering a Hindu Mahapanchayat in Delhi where hate speeches were delivered against Muslims, attended by sadhus and Hindutva activists.

The Delhi Police said they filed a case against the organizers of the event which was led by Yati Narsinghanand, the head priest of Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi temple who is currently out on bail in the Haridwar hate assembly case.

During the event in Delhi, hate slogans were allegedly yelled out and seven journalists who were present were assaulted at a “Hindu Mahapanchayat”.  The event was held in outer Delhi’s Burari on Sunday, and the police report it was organized without official clearance.  In fact, the police said they denied permission for the event, as did the land-owning agency Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The journalists attacked included a woman and three Muslim men who state that they were attacked, heckled, and subjected to religious slurs by a group of people at the event.

Later in the evening, the Delhi Police conveyed they had registered a case against the organizer (s) of the event under the Indian Penal Code’s sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) in connection with the speeches and for holding the event without clearances from police and other concerned agencies.

Contents of  Narsinghanand’s Hate Speech

The event was organized by Preet Singh, founder of Save India Foundation, which held a similar gathering at Jantar Mantar earlier where anti-Muslim slogans were shouted. Hindu Raksha Dal chief Bhupinder Tomar alias Pinki Chaudhary was also present at the Mahapanchayat. Singh and Chaudhary were arrested in the Jantar Mantar hate speech case and secured bail later.

In videos circulated on social media, Narsinghanand could be heard saying that Hindus will be killed if a Muslim becomes Prime Minister. “Once a Muslim becomes the PM of this country, then in the next 20 years, 50% of you will change your faith… 40% Hindus will be killed, 10% will get their daughters and sisters married to Muslim men, and then either live in a foreign country or in refugee camps. This is the future of Hindus… If you want to change this, then be a man. Who is a man? Someone who keeps weapons.”

One of the journalists, Saxena said, “While addressing the gathering from the stage, Preet Singh called out my name and asked if whatever he was saying would come under hate speech. Suddenly, the crowd started looking at me. Bhatt and I went back to speak to some people when suddenly Meharban came running to us and said the police were picking up journalists.”

Saxena said that while she was rushing to help the fellow journalists, many people from the crowd started blocking her way and asking her to show her press ID card. She saw some people dragging Meharban by his clothes. As Saxena and Bhatt started filming, the mob assaulted Bhatt and tried to snatch her cellphone.

“I screamed for help and held onto my phone. Some police personnel was standing close to us but they did nothing. Later, the policemen asked the journalists to sit in the police van. They took them away. Bhatt and I also reached the station, where we filed our complaint. We left from there around 6 pm,” said Saxena.

Later, Narsinghanand told Hindustan Times, “I didn’t ask people to pick up weapons but to keep them. It is to protect themselves and their families so that they don’t meet the same fate as the Hindus in Kashmir.”

Asked about Narsinghanand’s speech, Preet Singh said: “It is Yati Narsinghanand’s personal view and we don’t support what he said. We told him to stop after he made the comments. The Mahapanchayat was held to garner support for five new laws we feel should be introduced regarding education, to prevent infiltration, etc.”

Asked questioned about the attack on journalists, he said: “There was no attack (on journalists). We made several announcements during the event saying that we will not be responsible for what is said if any journalist talks to anyone apart from the official organizers.”

Reportedly, the journalists were taken to Mukherjee Nagar police station. Three of them – Arbab Ali, Meer Faisal, and Meghnad Bose shared details of the harassment they faced. Journalists Shivangi Saxena and Ronak Bhatt as well as photojournalist Md Meharban were also allegedly threatened and mauled by the mob.

The police, however, said none of the journalists was detained.

“Some of the reporters, willingly, on their own free will, to evade the crowd which was getting agitated by their presence, sat in a PCR (patrolling) van stationed at the venue and opted to proceed to the police station for security reasons. No one was detained. Due police protection was provided. For spreading misinformation, due necessary action shall be initiated against such persons,” deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Usha Rangnani tweeted.

 

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