NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has launched a probe after a video that went viral on social media on Monday showed a group of residents, allegedly from Shastri Nagar area, discussing and urging for a ban on entry of Muslims in their neighbourhood in the wake of the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering that has become a Covid-19 hotspot.
In the 1 minute and 52 second-long clip, a person who is not visible in the video, is heard saying, “These people have created a mess. The disease is spreading. No Muslim will be allowed to enter here. No one will be permitted to enter or leave the area without showing Aadhaar card.” In later part of the video, another person, also not visible, is heard stopping a vegetable vendor and asking his and his father’s name. “Do you have an identity card? Aadhaar card? Don’t enter the locality if you don’t carry Aadhaar from tomorrow,” he is heard, threatening the seller.
The Morning Standard couldn’t check the authenticity of the clip independently. However, a senior police officer on condition of anonymity said, “We are verifying the video to check whether it is fake or real and whether this is a recent video or old. After proper probe, we will take appropriate action.” Some local residents this newspaper spoke to said they favoured barring the entry of Muslims as they didn’t want to ‘take chance’. “No ‘such’ meeting has taken place because lockdown is in force.
The RWA offices are closed. But a video is circulating in which people are seen applying saliva on fruits and doing other such things. So, at this time, we all are being careful. There are many Muslims vendors who sell vegetables outside the colony,” said Charan Singh, a member of RWA, Shastri Nagar F Block. A Mukherjee Nagar resident said, “These people are spreading the virus. Even in lockdown many enter our society and attend the azaan.”