BJP’s Ashwini Upadhyay and 3 Others Arrested For the Jantar Mantar Incident

The BJP leader had organised a rally in the national capital where open calls for genocide against Muslims were made.

Upadhyay

On Tuesday, a Delhi Court remanded former Delhi BJP Spokesperson and Supreme Court lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay to two days judicial custody in the case registered by the Delhi police for inflammatory slogans which called for violence against Muslims.

Two accused persons Vineet & Deepak Singh were remanded to one-day police custody.

On August 8, a rally was organized by Upadhyay at Jantar Mantar where genocidal calls were made by Hindu groups against Muslims just 200 meters away from the Indian parliament in the heart of the national capital. The mob gathered also demanded a Universal Civil Code.

Pictures and videos from the event have surfaced on the internet showing violent sloganeering with adults as well children in the audience carrying pamphlets titled ‘Annihilation of Islam.’

In clips circulating on social media, “Ram, Ram” chants were raised along with threats to kill Muslims. “Hindustan mein rehna hoga jai shri ram kehna hoga (To stay in India, must say Jai Shri Ram),” the groups shouted.

The event led to outrage from the progressive circles of the country questioning Delhi police that operate under the Modi-led Union government for inaction and being bystanders when violence was being incited- a pattern that the Delhi Police has been following for the last few years.

Earlier the police had filed an FIR against unknown people but after demands for naming the accused whose identities were visible in the videos of the event, Upadhyay and five others were arrested.

The five other men were identified as Deepak Singh, Vinod Sharma, Vineet Bajpai, Preet Singh, and Deepak Kumar, Scroll.in quoted Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi Range) Jaspal Singh.

The Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava argued that Ashwini Upadhyay went ahead with the gathering despite the denial of permission for the same by the Delhi police. The Prosecutor also submitted before the Duty Magistrate Tanvi Khurana, that Upadhyay, a lawyer practicing in the Supreme Court is well acquainted with the law and that he knowingly committed the violations.

During the event on Sunday, a reporter for National Dastak, Anmol Pritam was heckled by a mob that violently forced him to chant ‘Jai Shree Ram.’ When the reporter refused, he has pushed around.

Meanwhile, Upadhyay who was visible in videos that are available online has claimed that the slogans were raised after the meeting organised by him was over. He had organised a meeting calling for the repeal of “colonial-era laws.”

Read More: Publish Criminal records of political candidates within 48 hours of selection: SC

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March 2024
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