Six held for ‘shoot the traitors’ slogan

DELHI HAS BEEN ON THE EDGE OVER THE PAST WEEK AFTER COMMUNAL VIOLENCE ERUPTED IN THE CAPITAL’S NORTHEAST DISTRICT THAT LEFT AT LEAST 42 DEAD AND HUNDREDS INJURED

NEWDELHI: Delhi metro staff and security personnel at one of the busiest stations – Rajiv Chowk – Saturday morning handed over a group of six men to the Delhi Metro Rail Police after they raised incendiary slogans of “shoot the traitors who betray the country”.

A video clip of the sloganeering was also widely shared.

“In reference to a video clip going viral on social media, showing sloganeering by some passengers at Rajiv Chowk Metro station, it is to state that this incident happened today around 10:52am at the station and DMRC/CISF staff immediately handed them over to the Delhi Metro Rail Police for further necessary action.

“Under Delhi Metro O&M Act 2002, any kind of demonstration or nuisance is prohibited in Delhi metro premises. Any passenger indulging in such act is liable to be removed from the Metro premises,” the DMRC said in a statement.

Police said the six men have been detained and are being interrogated.

“On February 29, at about 10:25 hours, six youths were seen shouting slogans at Rajiv Chowk metro station, Delhi. They were immediately intercepted by CISF personnel & thereafter handed over to Delhi Metro Rail Police officials for further action. Metro Rail operation remained,” the CISF said in a statement.

The slogan was the same with which Union minister Anurag Thakur had egged on a crowd to chant at an election rally in Delhi earlier this month.

Delhi has been on the edge over the past week after communal violence erupted in the capital’s northeast district that left at least 42 dead and hundreds injured.

Despite a massive deployment of police forces in the riothit areas, the capital continues to be tense.

The Delhi government has said that it will issue a Whatsapp number on which complaints can be made against hate material being circulated in the wake of the riots in Northeast Delhi.

The violence in northeast Delhi that began as a face-off on Sunday between supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and those opposing the law deteriorated into a communal clash on Monday and raged till Wednesday before police managed to get a hold on it and restore some order.

On Friday, S N Shrivastava took over as Delhi’s Commissioner of Police on Friday from Amulya Patnaik who had come under fire for failing to control the riots from spreading.