A day after a video showing four men assaulting a male protester and attacking a woman during the October 10 protest in central Delhi circulated widely on social media, the Delhi Police arrested all four men on Sunday morning (October 11, 2026). Hindu Raksha Dal president Pinky Chaudhary subsequently claimed that the accused were members of his organisation and vowed to protect them.
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The accused were identified as Raman Saini, 50, a resident of Pahari Dheeraj in Delhi; Vivekanand alias Vivek, 32, from Nangloi; Kapil Kumar, 27, who lives in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh; and Ravinder Singh alias Govind Hindu, 35, from Indirapuram in Ghaziabad.
The arrests followed the circulation of a video that drew widespread condemnation over the assault and the conduct of police personnel present at the scene. The footage showed four men approaching and assaulting a male protester. When a young woman ran towards the scene, the men threw her to the ground, after which one of them began attacking her.
Police personnel subsequently intervened. The footage appeared to show two policemen holding men by their shoulders and slowly walking them away from the scene. The manner in which the personnel appeared to handle the alleged assailants, rather than immediately restraining them more firmly, drew criticism across social media platforms.
The Delhi Police said the Kamla Market police station had taken suo motu cognisance of the video and initiated legal proceedings.
A senior Central district police official said allegations that the police had failed to take appropriate action during the incident were also being examined. The official said a case would be registered and action taken accordingly.
Mr. Chaudhary’s statements following the arrests brought the alleged attackers’ association with the right-wing Hindu Raksha Dal into focus. In a social media post, he said the men were his workers and described them as his “warriors”, claiming they were working for Sanatan Dharma.
“I had said, don’t mess with the Hindu Raksha Dal. The Hindu Raksha Dal won’t back down. These are my warriors who are working for Sanatan Dharma with full strength,” he said.
Mr. Chaudhary warned that it would retaliate against those who targeted Sanatan Dharma. He also said he was prepared to protect the accused, describing them as his workers.
“We have nothing to do with any politics, but if someone targets Sanatan, we will target them and send them right where they belong,” he said, adding that the Hindu Raksha Dal would not back down and that he was ready to protect his “warriors”.
The video prompted strong reactions from political organisations, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had called the October 10 protest.
The AAP described the incident as “Emergency 2.0” and criticised the presence and conduct of male police personnel during the handling of women protesters.
“See the brutality of the Delhi Police: Male police officers are dragging women on the street with such ruthlessness, while female police officers should have been deployed to handle the female protesters,” the party said, adding that the country would remember the incident.
The CJP also condemned the alleged assault, accusing members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of attacking a young woman in the presence of the police.
“Deeply disturbing! BJP-RSS goons beating a young girl in the presence of Delhi Police, with an officer seemingly guiding them to stop the recording,” the party said, questioning why the police had allegedly failed to protect the protesters.
The incident occurred amid heightened security in the Capital on October 10, when the CJP sought to hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The Delhi Police had denied permission for the demonstration, citing the timing of the application, alleged non-compliance with conditions imposed during an earlier protest, and concerns over law and order and traffic management. Security restrictions were imposed in the New Delhi district, and police detained people as part of measures to prevent the unauthorised gathering.
Published – October 11, 2026 12:46 pm IST