Video of man threatening Muslim shopkeeper in Delhi goes viral, case registered

The Delhi Police has filed an FIR after a video emerged on social media in which a man is purportedly heard threatening a Muslim shopkeeper for opening his biryani shop in Sant Nagar area here on the occasion of Diwali, officials said on Saturday.

The police said they took suo motu cognisance of the video.

In the video, the accused introduces himself as Naresh Kumar Suryavanshi, a member of the right-wing group Bajrang Dal. He is heard telling the workers of the shop that Sant Nagar is a Hindu area and threatening them against opening the shop at any festival, the police said.

The shop owner and his workers closed the shop soon after. The video was recorded around 9 pm on Thursday and later circulated on social media, they said.

After taking cognisance of the video and verifying the facts, a case was registered under Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code at Burari police station, a senior police officer said.

An investigation is underway to ascertain the identity of the accused and nab him, the officer said.