In East Sagarpur, southwest Delhi, a narrow lane has become a widening fault line. On one side of Gali No. 8 sits a largely Muslim-populated jhuggi; on the other, a colony of mostly Hindu homes. Between them lies a small DDA park – and, over 10 days in late June and early July, that park has become the flashpoint for communal unrest that residents say has left the neighbourhood more polarised than before.
The trigger, allegedly, was a flag.
On Friday, June 26 – the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram – certain accounts circulated CCTV footage showing a child waving a flag near the park. Locals in the slum said it was a green flag with a white crescent and star that is routinely displayed at Muslim festivals. But Hindutva activists insisted it was a Pakistani flag.
Separately, there were objections to an Alam – a flagpole raised during Muharram – that had been erected at the DDA park.
The next day, June 27, Vipin Rajput, a Hindutva activist, filed a written complaint at Sagarpur police station. He alleged that a Pakistani flag had been waved and objected to the presence of the Alam at the park. Rajput said the police did not act.
Then the situation spiralled.
June 30: Hanuman Chalisa and violence
On Tuesday, June 30, between 7 and 8 pm, Hindutva activists gathered at the same DDA park, saying they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa. Videos from the scene show members carrying a mic and a speaker. Vipin Rajput was seen with a sharp weapon and heard on the mic saying, “Jhuggi ke logon ne jeena haram kar ke rakha hai.” Another man then took the mic and said, “You celebrated your festival, so we will do Hanuman Chalisa here.”
The Alam at the park was removed during the gathering, which residents said further escalated tensions. It is not clear who removed it. An argument soon spiralled into stone-pelting.
DCP (South West) Amit Goyal told the media that Hindutva activists had gathered in the DDA park behind the slum to recite the Hanuman Chalisa when some jhuggi residents objected, leading to a heated argument. He said an adequate police force had already been deployed, and that police intervened, brought the situation under control and dispersed both sides.
It remains unclear who the FIR names and on whose complaint it was registered. According to media reports, the case has been registered under Sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS. Requests to the police to share a copy of the FIR failed to elicit a response.
Police also told the media that they were examining videos circulating online, CCTV footage and other evidence, and that further legal action would follow their findings. They said the area was currently normal, and urged people to ignore rumours and refrain from sharing unverified information on social media.
However, some local residents accused the police of inaction.
Noor Jahan, 45, who was injured in the incident, told Newslaundry: “Police were there, but the argument escalated, and they beat us. At first, there were only a few police, but later many people gathered at the scene. They say we threw stones, but we didn’t.”
A shopkeeper in the colony, who witnessed the incident but wished to remain anonymous, said: “At 7:30, it (violence) started. When I saw them (the mob), I half-closed my shutter. This kind of chaos and violence has never happened before. Police were standing there from the beginning. First, stones were thrown from above. The people with Vipin were not from here. By 8, I closed my shop and left.”
Swati, a resident of the colony, said: “I heard noise and came out. They were reciting Hanuman Chalisa, police were there, and these people were chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. This is the first time such violence has occurred in our area.”
Rihana, a resident of the jhuggi, claimed: “I went there and saw people arguing. Someone from the group hit me with a stick…Police carried me away from the location.”
Another woman from the colony, who also wished to remain anonymous, claimed the slum-dwellers used force to occupy the park.
Asked about the video showing him carrying a sharp weapon, Rajput claimed it was part of self-defence.
The mahapanchayat
The tensions refuse to die down.
On July 5, Vipin Rajput and members of a group called the Hindu Samaj organised a mahapanchayat at the park. The gathering reportedly drew several Hindutva voices, including activist Preet Singh. Vipin also shared a poster for the event on his Instagram account. It read: “Bharat mein badhte Islamikaran ko rokne evam Hindu Samaj par ho rahe atyachar ke khilaaf Sarv Hindu Samaj ki Mahapanchayat.”
Vipin said: “We took permission from the police station on Friday to hold the Mahapanchayat. It was scheduled from morning till evening, although our programme lasted about two to three hours. We discussed issues such as unauthorised jhuggis, what we allege is the targeting and exploitation of Hindus, the Hanuman Chalisa incident, and the flags in the park.”
Gobind Singh, a local resident who attended, said: “The purpose of the programme was to unite the Hindu community and urge the authorities to take action if such incidents happen again.”
Newslaundry has sent questions to DCP Goyal. This report will be updated if a response is received.
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