Tension gripped New Delhi’s Karol Bagh area on Saturday, October 19, as Hindutva activists tried to stop Burqa-clad women from applying Mehndi, also known as Henna, on Hindu women on the eve of Karwa Chauth.
Karwa Chauth is a Hindu festival celebrated by women in Northern and Western India in October or November, in which they fast from sunrise to moonrise praying for the safety and long life of their husbands. Getting Mehndi applied during Karwa Chauth is a cherished ritual for women participating in the festival. Karol Bagh in West Delhi is a popular destination for this purpose.
In a video that has surfaced online, some men are seen chastising the Hindu women for opting for the services of Burqa-clad women despite the “atrocities on the Hindu community by Muslims”. “Do you care about your religion? Do you care about your festivals?”, a man is heard asking the Hindu women. They accuse Muslims of “murdering Hindu women and stuffing them in refrigerators” and committing ‘Love Jihad’. The group also slam the Muslim women for wearing a burqa on Karwa Chauth. “At least today, they could have worn suits. They are flaunting their identity, they’re working in their burqas”, one person is heard saying. It is pertinent to note that children were also present at the scene.
The video below is followed by a transcription of what is said, and a translation.
Behenji, humari behen betiyon ko becha jata hai, humari maaon ko becha jata hai yeh logon ke saath. Nahi nahi, aap khade hoeye. Humare Hindu samaj ke koi bhi beti nahi lagayegi. Aap logon ko sharam aati hai ya nahi aati hai?… Aap logon ko apna dharam pyara hai? Apna tyohaar pyara hai? Inn jaisi logon ke saath laga rahe hai aap?… Humare udhar Hindu bhai beheney laga rahi hai, udhar maata beheney laga rahi hai, unse lagaiye na. Humare samaj ka jitna bura inn logon kaam kar rakha hai aap logon ko dikhai nahi deta? Burqa pehenke laga rahe hai, Hinduon ka tyohaar Hindu nahi bana payenge kya?… Yeh kaunsa tareeeka hai, burqa phene ke laga rahe hai. Arey aaj ke din suit pehen lete, aaj toh apna identity chhupa dete… Aaj bhi tum logon ko apna dikhana tha ki burqa pehen ke hum laga rahe hai. Yeh kaunsa dikha rahe ho aaplog? Humara Hindu samaj isi tareeke se toh bramhit ho rakha hai… Humlogon ke saath jo atyachaar ho raha hai, aaye din humari behen betiyon ko kaat ke fridge o ke andar pack karte hai, uske baad bhi aap log nahi samajhte. Humare Hindu samaaj nahi samajhta, humare behen betiyan nahi samajhti… Love jihad ho raha hai humari behen betiyon ke saath mein… Aaye din kaat kaat ke phneka jaa raha hai, aaye din kaat kaat ke unko fridge o ke andar bandh kiya jaa raha hai… Uske baad bhi meri mata beheney yahan baithi hai dekho… Arey Hindu laga rahe hai na udhar, aur Hindu bhai hai woh lagayenge, kya dikkat hai, inn burqon walo se lagwaoge kya aap? Humara Hindu samaj bilkul gaya guzraa ho chuka hai kya? Humare log bilkul (inaudible) ho chuke hai kya jo kisiko samajh mein nahi aa raha… Humari behen betiyon ko kaat kaat ke phnekte hai, fridge o ke andar daalte hai, uske baad app inlogon se Mehndi lagwa rahe hai… Arey Hinduon ka tyohaar hai, Hindu nahi manayega, yeh log manayenge, burqa pehen ke baithe hai… Arey aapko kisiko kuch samajh mein aa raha hai? Aaj ke din bhi kam se kam suit salwar pehen lete… Identity dikha rahe hai apni, “hum burqe ke andar kaam kar rahe hai”… Kuch samajh mein aata hai aaplogon ko? Phir baad mein aate hai Bajrang Dal ke paas mein, RSS walon ke paas mein, humare beti ko le gaye Love Jihad karke, humari beti ko kaat diya… Uss time pe aate ho aaplog Hindu sangathon ke paas mein… Bhaisaab aap kuch boliye… Wahan pe laga rahi hai na, waha lagwao… Aaj ke din bhi inn log burqa pehen ke kaam rahe hai…
[Translation: Sister, our daughters are being sold, our mothers are being sold along with these people. No No, you get up. No one from our Hindu community will apply Henna (from them). Do you have some shame or not?… Do you love your faith? Do you love your festival? You’re letting people like them apply Henna on you? Hindu sisters are applying it there, our mothers and sisters there are applying it, go to them, no? Don’t you see how much damage these people have done to our community? They are applying Henna wearing burqas… will Hindus not be able to celebrate Hindu festivals anymore? What is this? applying Henna while wearing burqas? At least today they could have worn a suit, hiding their identity. Even today, you want to show that you’re applying it wearing a burqa. What are you trying to show us? This is why our Hindu community is so troubled… The atrocities being done to us, our sisters and daughters are being cut up and stuffed into fridges, and even after that, you people don’t understand. Our Hindu society doesn’t understand, our sisters and daughters don’t understand… Love Jihad is happening with our sisters and daughters. Day after day, they are being killed and thrown away, stuffed into fridges. Even after all that, our mothers and sisters are still sitting here… Look, Hindus are applying it there, Hindu brothers are there, let them apply it. What’s the issue? Why do you want these people in burqas to apply it? Has our Hindu society completely lost its way? Have our people become so (inaudible) that no one understands this? Our sisters and daughters are being killed and thrown away, stuffed into fridges, and even after that, you’re letting these people apply Henna. It’s a Hindu festival, will Hindus not celebrate it, will these people celebrate it, sitting here wearing burqas? Does anyone understand anything? At least today, they could have worn suits. They are flaunting their identity, “We are working in burqas”. Do you people understand anything? Later, you will come to Bajrang Dal, RSS, saying they did ‘Love Jihad’ with our daughter, they killed our daughter. You come to Hindu organizations at that time. Brother, you say something. They’re applying it there, go and have it applied there. Even today, they are working in burqas.]
While a tall man in an orange t-shirt says the above, his compatriots make similar observations and film the incident. One is heard saying, “Kis cheez se Indian ho aap?” (Translation: From which angle are you an Indian?), another comments. “Humsein hi kama rahe hai, humein hi kha rahe hai… yeh galat hai” (Translation: They’re taking our money and harming us only… this is unfair).
Videos of the incident were soon shared on social media by Right-wing handles such as Kreately Media (@KreatelyMedia) and Kajal Hindustani (kajal_jaihind).
Alt News was able to geolocate the exact location of the incident. In the background, a building with the name ‘Lakh Datar Tower’ is visible. We located the building to Beadonpura, Karol Bagh in the national capital. Below is a comparison of a key frame from the video and a photo from Google.
We also found that the place of occurrence was 160 metres from the Karol Bagh police station. Alt News contacted the SHO of Karol Bagh on October 21 who informed us that the police were still trying to verify the chain of events.
In the meantime, Alt News was able to identify the individuals who were seen harassing the women.
Who were the Harassers?
We found additional footage of the incident in an Instagram video uploaded by a Bajrang Dal worker from the Karol Bagh chapter. The video shows women getting Mehndi applied by burqa-clad women, seated in various groups. A group of men, led by a man in an orange t-shirt, is seen moving from spot to spot, harassing and shouting at the women for choosing Muslim women to apply their Mehndi.
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The man in an orange t-shirt, who appears to be the leader of the group is Vijay Khichi, also known as Vijay Kumar, the district coordinator for Bajrang Dal’s Karol Bagh chapter. We found an image on Facebook of Vijay wearing the same t-shirt as worn in the viral video. See comparison below:
At the end of the viral video, one person can be seen filming the incident on his phone. A discernible feature that we noticed was a Kadha (metal bangle) on his right hand. Alt News was able to identify him as Sonu Yadav, the district security chief of the Karol Bagh chapter of Bajrang Dal. See comparison below:
Who is Vijay Khichi?
Upon investigation, we found that Vijay is a regular attendee at Bajrang Dal and VHP events in the area.
Vijay has been photographed with the former and the current deputy commissioners of the municipal corporation of Delhi for the Karol Bagh Zone.
In August 2023, Alt News had documented hate speeches delivered at a protest rally organised by Bajrang Dal in Karol Bagh after the communal clashes in Nuh, Haryana. Several inflammatory statements were made during the rally, including insinuations that if the administration failed to let the Hindus complete their rally, VHP and Bajrang Dal would ‘take matters into their own hands.’ Open threats of violence were also made against Muslims. Vijay was seen at the forefront of the rally raising slogans as his supporters and compatriots chimed in.
Alt News contacted police again on October 24. We were not provided with any updates, and the officer dismissed our questions stating that “the incident was not very significant.” This is notwithstanding the fact that the incident took place at the heart of the national capital barely 150 meters from a police station. In our view, the dismissive attitude of police and the resultant impunity with which Hindutva ‘activists’ were able to spread communal hatred and harass women from both the communities serve as a stark reminder of the increasingly normalization of such hate-mongering in the country.
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