Three persons linked to the right-wing group Hindu Raksha Dal were arrested for allegedly writing communal slogans on a wall in the Biharigarh area in Uttar Pradesh using spray, the police said on Friday.
The accused, along with two women, sprayed the slogan “Ye Sadak Musalmano ke lie nahi hai” along the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, the video of which later went viral, leading to their arrest on Thursday.
The video shows women using spray paint to write “Ye Sadak Musalmano ke lie nahi hai,” accompanied by the religious slogans. The 57-second video sparked outrage on social media platforms, with users calling it communal and inflammatory.
Later, while speaking to Siasat.com, Saharapur Additional Superintendent Shailendra Kumar said that the case has been lodged based on the video and the written slogans have been taken down. “Investigations are underway. We will know more after that,” siasat.com quoted him saying.
Hindu Raksha Dal leader Bhupendra Chaudhary, alias Pinky Bhaiya, also admitted that it was his organization’s members who wrote the message.
“Only Hindus pay taxes in India; these jihadis, if they don’t pay taxes, have no right to travel on the national highway! Muslims will not be allowed to travel on the national highway,” he wrote on his social media platform.
Police arrested the accused on apprehension of a breach of peace and possible rioting. Officials said they have been charged with conspiracy to incite riots. Station House Officer of Biharigarh police station, Akshay Sharma, told PTI that the arrested individuals have been identified as Sulekha, Sharda, and Manav Kendra, all residents of Dehradun. The three are aged between 25 and 30.
The action was taken based on a complaint lodged by a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) employee at the Biharigarh police station.
