New Delhi: Congress leaders criticised the BJP-led Centre on Friday following a video surfaced on social media of a police sub-inspector kicking people while they were offering namaz on a road in north Delhi's Inderlok area. The incident sparked outrage among locals, leading to protests against the Delhi Police. Congress leaders called for the immediate termination of the sub-inspector's services and condemned the use of force against individuals engaged in religious practices.
Amid the protest, the Delhi Police suspended the official with immediate effect, as per PTI.
Sharing the video on X, Congress spokesperson Surpiya Shrinate said the motto of Home Minister Amit Shah's Delhi Police is Shanti, Seva, Nyay and it is working diligently.
Lok Sabha MP Danish Ali, who has been suspended by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), shared the video on social media and expressed deep concern over the alleged communal environment prevailing in the country. "Never had I imagined that one day when people of one community would be praying on the road in India, flowers would be showered on them and people of another community would be kicked", Ali said on X. He demanded that the culprit be arrested by the Delhi Police.
Congress's Rajya Sabha MP and its minority cell chief Imran Pratapgarhi condemned the actions of the police and that the Delhi Police must file a case against the police officer who kicked the Muslims offering their namaz.
"The policeman who kicked a person while offering Namaz in Indralok Delhi has been suspended, but the question still remains, when will an FIR be registered under relevant sections against a policeman whose communal face is captured on camera?? @DelhiPolice You are the capital's police, you should draw a big line," he stated.
Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed strongly condemned the actions of the Delhi Police officer. "This is sickening to watch. How is the man harming anyone by simply offering prayers? This is how insensitive and de-humanised the Delhi police force has become under Amit Shah. Is this #amritkaal!", she asked.
The incident occurred during the jumme ki namaz (Friday prayers) around 2 pm near the Inderlok metro station in Delhi. Following the incident, local residents blocked a road and demanded action against the police officer involved, prompting an increase in security measures to maintain law and order in the area.
The act was reportedly captured on camera, and the video quickly went viral on social media platforms. In the video, Sub-Inspector Manoj Kumar Tomar is seen kicking individuals while they were engaged in offering namaz on the road.