Police Book Organisers Of A Hindu Rashtra Panchayat In Northeast Delhi

Police have filed a case against the organisers of a Hindu Rashtra Panchayat in northeast Delhi, after they held a meeting without obtaining the required permission.

At the panchayat on 9 April, it was proposed that northeast Delhi become the first Hindu Rashtra district, with a call for residents to not rent out or sell properties to minorities.

Organisers of the meet have been charged under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for not seeking permission. This was confirmed to news agency PTI by a senior police official.

The particular section concerns disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant.

After the investigation reveals more facts, action will be taken accordingly, another police officer said.

Jai Bhagwan Goyal, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Hindu United Front head, organised the meeting in northeast Delhi.

Satyanarayan Jatiya, a former Union minister, and Awatar Singh, a former north Delhi mayor, were among the attendees.

A Delhi BJP spokesperson said the event did not have the approval of the party and that Goyal did not hold a party post.

"We will first make northeast Delhi a Hindu Rashtra district and then the entire country a Hindu Rashtra," Goyal told the 9 April gathering.

Northeast Delhi was rocked by rioting in February, 2020. The violence left 53 dead and more than 700 injured.

In reference to the riots, Goyal claimed that there was a plot to make northeast Delhi a "mini Pakistan."