UP: Hindu Outfit Attacks Shanty-Dwellers In Ghaziabad Calling Them Bangladeshi Infiltrators, 2 Held

UP Police denied the claims of the Hindu outfit leader and the mob that called the shanty-dwellers Bangladeshi infiltrators. An FIR has been lodged against the outfit leader and 20 others.

A fringe group attacked Muslim shanty dwellers in UP's Ghaziabad, claiming that they were Bangladeshi infiltrators.

Source : X

Ghaziabad: A group of people living near a railway station in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad were assaulted by members of a Hindu right-wing outfit, who also destroyed their shanties, claiming that they were Bangladeshi infiltrators, police stated on Saturday. Following the incident, the police officials lodged an FIR against the leader of the outfit and arrested him in connection with the case. Another accused Badal alias Hariom Singh was also arrested.

Around 20 others have been booked for rioting and hurting religious feelings, among other offences, stressing that the shanty-dwellers who were attacked were not Bangladeshis, news agency PTI reported.

Police said that some of the residents sustained injuries in the incident, which took place near Guldhar railway station at around 7.30 pm on Friday. 

Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra told PTI that those living in the shanties belonged to Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and not Bangladesh as the rioters claimed.  

“The police are contemplating invoking the National Security Act (NSA) against the attackers in the case,” Mishra added. 

The incident occurred when the president of the Hindu Raksha Dal, Bhupendra Chowdhary, also known as 'Pinky,' reached the spot along with 20 of his supporters, police said. 

Accusing the residents of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, the fringe group went on to vandalise their temporary shelters, the police added. 

On receiving information about the incident an investigation was conducted, which revealed that the victims were not Bangladeshi nationals, ACP (Kavinagar) Abhishek Srivastava told PTI. 

Pinky, 20 Others Booked; Police Say Culprits To Be Arrested Soon

Sub-Inspector Sanjiv Kumar was on duty in Sanjay Nagar Sector-23 at the time of the incident and filed an FIR at the local Madhuban Bapudham police station. 

In his complaint, Kumar alleged that his team had some commotion, following which he went to the scene, where they observed Pinky abusing and assaulting some Muslims while raising anti-Bangladeshi slogans along with his supporters. The group also demolished the shanties of the residents. 

“I tried to explain to them that these people are not from Bangladesh, but they continued beating them and damaging their shelters,” Kumar recounted in his complaint. 

The FIR has been lodged against the outfit head Pinky and the 20 unidentified individuals who accompanied him under relevant provisions of the law, the police said. 

They have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 191(2) (rioting), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 117(4) (causing grievous hurt), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religious or religious beliefs), 324(5) (mischief), and 354 (act caused by inducing person to believe that he will be rendered an object of Divine displeasure). 

ACP Srivastava also said that legal action will be taken against those involved and the culprits will be apprehended soon.