‘Go to Pak… I Remember This Lane, I’ll Set it Right’, Meerut Top Cop Heard Threatening Anti-CAA Protesters

Meerut: As videos clips of brutal violence, smashing of CCTV cameras and vehicles and ransacking of home by the police flood social media, raising a question mark on the UP Police’s stance that lathi-charge, teargas and firing were done to ‘disperse the violent mob’, a shocking video clip has gone viral, showing a top Meerut cop allegedly hurling communal slurs against Muslims. The video spurred a political row in with Samajwadi Party and Congress hitting out at the police officer’s purported “unconstitutional” remarks.

According to media reports, senior Meerut city police officer Akhilesh Narayan Singh, in a purported video shot in Lisari Gate, is seen telling a group of Muslims to tell anti-CAA protesters to “go to Pakistan” adding “Kahan jaoge, is gali ko theek kar doonga (Where will you go, I will sort out this lane)”, the Indian Express reported.

The police officer was cracking down in the city after alleged violence last week after widespread protests in the area on December 20 against the amended Citizenship Act (CAA). Five people were killed in Meerut district in the violence, with the families of all the five, alleging that they died of bullet injuries because of ‘target killing’.

In the 1.43-minute-long video, Singh, who is Meerut Superintendent of Police, can be seen talking to three Muslim men in a narrow lane, along with other police personnel.

"Yeh jo kaali aur peeli patti bandhe huye hain inko keh do Pakistan chale jao... Khaoge yahan ka, gaoge kahin aur ka (Tell the protestors who have tied black and yellow bands to go to Pakistan, You will eat here but praise someplace else)," he purportedly said, as per a PTI report.

Singh goes on to warn the locals: "Yeh gali mujhe yaad ho gayi hai, yaad rakhna. Aur jab mujhe yaad ho jaata hai toh mein naani tak pahunchta hun (I now remember this lane and I can reach your grandmother)," he said.

The top police officer’s threats do not stop here. In the video, the officer can also be heard warning the three men standing at the junction of two lanes. “Agar kuch ho gaya toh tum log keemat chukaoge… Har ek-ek aadmi ko jail mein bandh karoonga (If something happens, you guys will pay the price. Every man from each house will be arrested)”.

The video sparked a political row on Saturday, with political parties terming the police officer’s statements as “unconstitutional”.

Singh, however, claimed that he had made the statement to a group of “anti-social” people who were raising slogans in the support of Pakistan, and termed the video as part of a conspiracy.

When questioned by the media, Additional Director General of Police Prashant Kumar defended Singh and told ANI that: "the choice of words could have been better in normal situation. But that day the situation was extremely volatile."

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MLA Rafiq Ansari hit out at the top officer, saying he should exercise restraint and not make unconstitutional remarks. The people he was talking about were also the residents of India, he said.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, hit back at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of communalising institutions.

"The Constitution of India does not allow the use of this language with any citizen, and when you are an officer in important position, then the responsibility increases," she said in the tweet, while posting the video in her official Twitter handle.

(With inputs from PTI)