Bajrang Dal members ‘force’ woman commuter into protest in Dehradun; FIR filed

DEHRADUN: Bajrang Dal members stopped a woman commuter on a scooty near Dehradun’s Clock Tower area and forced her to join their protest against alleged “love jihad” and “land jihad” on Sunday, prompting police to register a suo motu FIR against unidentified persons after a video of the incident circulated on social media.The video, whose veracity TOI could not independently verify, showed the woman visibly shaken as members of the right-wing group, including a few women, surrounded her and asked her to park her vehicle and participate in their demonstration. When she declined, saying she had urgent work at home, group members were heard questioning her religion and asking why she was not willing to support them.The incident came days after Bajrang Dal members allegedly barged into a footwear showroom in the city and targeted employees belonging to minority community, adding to concern over similar acts of public intimidation in Dehradun.Police took suo motu cognisance of the Clock Tower incident and registered an FIR against unidentified persons. Inspector Santosh Singh Kunwar said, “The FIR was registered under BNS sections 127(2), wrongful confinement, 221, obstructing public servant in discharge of public function, 223, disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant, 285, obstruction in public way, and 292, punishment for public nuisance.”Kunwar added that police were examining the video and trying to identify those involved. “A probe is on to identify the accused and detain them for questioning,” he said.