Text Size: A- A+

New Delhi: A former Delhi Police constable, who was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to shoot anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters, has released a new video on social media to say he was “proud of what he did”.

In a 24-minute video released Sunday, Rakesh Tyagi, who took voluntary retirement from the Delhi Police in 2014, questioned his arrest and said he wasn’t sorry for what he did or said in the first video he released on 22 December.

“I said that whoever will pelt stones at a protest will be shot. What wrong did I say? Why was I arrested for that?” he said.

In the first 16-minute video, the 43-year-old had posed as a sub-inspector and allegedly issued threats to shoot people protesting against CAA. In the video, he is seen sitting inside a car in his uniform and saying the Union home minister had given directions to the police to take strict action against miscreants.

“Do you think the DCP (deputy commissioner of police) has given directions? No, it is the home minister who has directed us. We will abide by orders to save the Constitution,” he had said in the first video.

“If a stone hits the police, I will shoot those protesters who indulge in pelting. If they throw a brick at us, I will save it up and use it for the construction of a Ram temple,” he had said.

Tyagi was arrested from his Uttam Nagar residence in Delhi Friday after a case was registered against him under sections of the IT Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was released on bail the same night.

“People pointed out the video to us on social media and we took suo motu cognisance and registered a case. He was arrested and then later released on bail,” said a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named.

Delhi Police has come under severe criticism in the last two weeks for its alleged heavy-handed action against people who have been protesting against the amended citizenship law.

Also read: Delhi hospitals not giving medical reports, say families of UP men killed in ‘police firing’

‘Why not register a case against Yogi?’

In the video released following his bail, Rakesh Tyagi said members of a “particular community and political party” complained against him.

“I was dragged out of my home and arrested forcefully. I still respect Delhi Police but I want to know why I was arrested. What did I do? I am not sorry for what I said,” he said.

Tyagi said if he was arrested for saying strict action should be taken against stone-pelters, then why Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wasn’t arrested for saying the same thing.

“Yogi has said that people who are creating violence should be arrested, gunned down and punished. Should he also be arrested for saying that?” Tyagi asked.

The Uttar Pradesh CM had said properties of those involved in the violence would be seized and auctioned to compensate destruction of public and private assets during the protests against the citizenship law.

“People like (AAP MLA) Amanatullah Khan and (Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief) Asaduddin Owaisi are the ones who are instigating Muslims, and the police are arresting people like me,” he said.

Tyagi also said his remark on the construction of a Hindu temple may have irked “some people”.

“I said that the brick that you throw at us, we will preserve that and get a Ram Mandir constructed from that. Some people are irritated with that. What wrong did I say? We are not DNA of Humayun and Babur, but of Ram and Sri Krishna,” said the former constable.

Also read: ‘Small step towards victory’ and a ‘lie’: How protesters saw PM Modi’s no-NRC assurance

‘Will continue to wear my khaki’

In his second video, Tyagi also said he would continue to wear his khaki uniform.

“No one can stop me from wearing my uniform. It is my right. Even if I do not wear my stars or badge, I would still wear my uniform and set people right,” he said.

Wearing a police uniform not being part of the force is a violation under law.

“This is why he was booked for impersonation, which is punishable under sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) and 170 (pretends to hold any public office as a public servant) of the IPC…” said the police officer quoted above.

When he was in custody, Tyagi said, police personnel asked him why he made remarks about the Ram temple or the Citizenship Act.

“But I want to tell them, that I will do it. I am for NRC, for NPR and for a Ram temple and I will talk about it. What I said was not a threatening speech, what Asaduddin Owaisi says is a threatening speech and the police should know that,” he said.

Also read: ‘You will forget all your journalism’: How UP Police detained a reporter covering CAA protests

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube & Telegram

Why news media is in crisis & How you can fix it India needs free, fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism even more as it faces multiple crises. But the news media is in a crisis of its own. There have been brutal layoffs and pay-cuts. The best of journalism is shrinking, yielding to crude prime-time spectacle. ThePrint has the finest young reporters, columnists and editors working for it. Sustaining journalism of this quality needs smart and thinking people like you to pay for it. Whether you live in India or overseas, you can do it here. Support Our Journalism

Show Full Article