GHAZIABAD: Police have arrested six members of Hindu Raksha Dal for distributing over two dozen swords in Shalimar Garden colony, an officer said.
These six are among the 17 office bearers of the Hindu Raksha Dal, including its president Bhupendra Chowdhry 'Pinki', who have been named as accused in the case. Bhupendra is on the run.
More than two dozen unidentified members of the group have been booked, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Trans Hindon) Nimish Patil said.
The case has been registered under sections 191(2) (guilty of rioting), 191(3) (guilty of rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon or with anything which, used as a weapon of offence, is likely to cause death), 127(2) (wrongful confinement) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, he said.
Police teams are raiding the hideouts of the group members who took out a procession in the colony.
Raising pro-Hindu and anti-Muslim slogans, they went door-to-door in the area, distributing weapons.
"Police will not permit any outfit to disturb harmony and law and order. All the named and unnamed accused will be nabbed soon. All of them are currently absconding," Patil said on Monday.
Meanwhile, Bhupendra released a video in which he said that 250 weapons have been distributed among people to face Muslims who "attack Hindu families and molest Hindu girls and women".
"Hindus must be well-equipped with weapons to fight Muslims. Hindu Raksha Dal will help the Hindu community. These days, the condition of Hindus in Bangladesh is very miserable. Hindus are being killed there.
We will not let the condition of Hindus become like that of Hindus in Bangladesh," he said in the video.
DCP Patil said police are keeping a close watch on the law and order situation in the area, which is surrounded by Muslim-dominated areas like Shaheed Nagar and Pasonda village.