Police in Ghaziabad arrested Hindu Raksha Dal (HRD) chief Pinky Chaudhary and his son Harsh Chaudhary on Tuesday in connection with a case filed against them for allegedly distributing swords to Hindu households in December, instructing people to “protect themselves against attacks such as those that took place recently in Bangladesh”.
The arrests follow a first information report (FIR) registered on December 29 at Shalimar Garden police station after videos surfaced on social media showing members of the right-wing group going door-to-door with the weapons.
The accused were apprehended on Tuesday from Wazirabad Road, police said.
The case was registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 191(2) for rioting, 191(3) for rioting with a deadly weapon, 127(2) for wrongful confinement, and also under provisions of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act.
According to police, Pinky Chaudhary has 27 previous cases against him, while his son has three.
“Our teams arrested Pinky Chaudhary and his son Harsh Chaudhary from the Wazirabad Road on Tuesday. They were named in the FIR lodged in connection with the sword distribution incident and remained absconding,” said Atul Kumar Singh, ACP of Shalimar Garden police station.
With their arrest, the total number of persons held in the case has risen to 12. A total of 10 other HRD members were arrested on the day the FIR was filed. “Further investigation is underway,” said Nimish Patil, DCP of the trans-Hindon zone.
In one of the viral videos, Chaudhary is heard saying, “The way our Hindu brothers have been killed in Bangladesh… Hindus should keep swords to defend themselves. We have distributed about 250 swords and we will continue to distribute them.”
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
The HRD and its chief have been involved in controversial incidents in the past, including an alleged attack on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office in Kaushambi in 2014 and claims of responsibility for violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2020.