The Haryana Police on Tuesday arrested cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi in connection with the communal violence that broke out in the Nuh district on July 31, PTI reported.
Bajrangi, who is also known as Raj Kumar, has been booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duty, voluntarily causing harm to deter a public worker from doing duty, rioting and criminal intimidation, as well as under the Arms Act.
Bajrangi is said to be a Bajrang Dal leader. However, the Vishva Hindu Parishad has distanced itself from Bajrangi, claiming he is not a member of the Bajrang Dal, reported PTI. Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad.
Bajrangi and his associates wielded weapons during a procession by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that was attacked by a Muslim mob on July 31, an unidentified police official told PTI.
A police official had later confiscated the weapons but Bajrangi and his associates allegedly snatched them from a police vehicle and threatened officials.
On July 31, a clash had broken out between Hindus and Muslims in Nuh during the Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra, a procession organised by the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The violence soon spread beyond Nuh, with Gurugram, in particular, witnessing widespread arson and mob attacks on Muslim homes and shops.
Six persons – including two home guards, an imam at a mosque and a Bajrang Dal member – died in the violence.
On July 30, Bajrangi had uploaded a series of videos announcing his arrival in Mewat. “Let me share my location otherwise they will say that I visited my in-laws and did not even meet,” he had said in one of the videos.
In another video, he was seen wearing saffron attire with a caption that stated that he would visit Mewat the next day. “Gunshots will be fired, the father will remain the father,” the lyrics of a song played in the video said.
Also read:
How communal violence swept Haryana’s Nuh and Gurugram: A timeline
A case had been filed against Bajrangi in connection with the video. He was arrested but later released on bail.
On Tuesday, the police questioned Bajrangi in connection with the violence in Nuh and Gurugram and subsequently arrested him. The first information report in the case also names 15-20 persons.
The police are scanning videos to identify his associates, Faridabad Police spokesperson Sube Singh said, according to The Indian Express.
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