Nuh violence: Bittu Bajrangi sent to police remand, associates to be arrested soon

HARYANA: Cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi was remanded in police custody for a day by a Nuh court on Wednesday in connection with communal clashes that erupted in the district on July 31, and police said his associates will also be arrested soon.

Bajrangi alias Raj Kumar was arrested on Tuesday from Faridabad after a fresh FIR was registered against him at Nuh's Sadar police station based on a complaint by Assistant Superintendent of Police Usha Kundu, they said.

According to the FIR, Bajrangi, who was identified through social media posts, and some of his unidentified supporters had allegedly misbehaved with and threatened an ASP Kundu-led police team which had stopped them while they were carrying swords and tri shuls at Nalhar temple.

Bajrangi had been arrested by Faridabad police two days after the violence in connection with another case related to the communal clashes but was released on bail after he joined the investigation.

He was accused of making inflammatory speeches and brandishing weapons in public.

"Bajrangi was produced in a city court today and we have taken him on a one-day police remand for questioning. Further probe is underway and associates of Bajrangi will also be arrested as earliest possible," a Nuh police spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad, meanwhile, disassociated itself from Bajrangi and claimed he was never linked with Bajrang Dal.

"Raj Kumar alias Bittu Bajrangi, who is said to be a Bajrang Dal worker, has never had any relation with Bajrang Dal. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) also does not consider the content of the video allegedly released by him to be appropriate," the right-wing outfit said in a statement.

Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP.

In her complaint, ASP Usha Kundu said, "I was on duty with my team 300 metres away from the Nalhar temple. We saw a mob of around 20 people carrying swords and trishuls marching to Nalhar temple. To maintain law and order my team snatched and seized their weapons."

"After this, they started raising slogans against the police and manhandled the team. We kept their weapons in our vehicles but they went ahead and squatted in front of vehicles. Soon after they opened the rear gates of our official vehicle and fled with weapons. Bittu and others who had misbehaved with us and threatened to kill us were identified in the footage," ASP Kundu said in her complaint.

The FIR was registered against Bajrangi under Indian Penal Code sections 148 (riots), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (causing hurt), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant), 186 (obstructing a public servant from discharging duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and provisions of the Arms Act, police said.