Activist Saket Gokhale posted on social media that the Delhi Police granted him permission to host a rally in the national capital in which people will be allowed to chant the slogan, “Goli maaro saalo ko, desh ke gaddaron ko. (Shoot the traitors of this country.)”
Gokhale said that after first granting permission, the Delhi Police later “requested” him to move the protest to after 8 February, the day Delhi goes to vote for the Assembly polls.
Later, Delhi Police denied that such a permit was given.
Soon after the police’s denial, Gokhale countered them, saying there were two others with him who also heard clearly that permission was given. He also asked the police to produce the refusal letter.
Here are Gokhale’s earlier tweets about the matter.
Gokhale’s Objective
On 27 January, Gokhale wrote on Facebook, “I’m applying for permission to Delhi Police for taking out a rally chanting “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko”. This is the only way left for me to get Delhi Police to answer on-the-record whether this disgusting slogan is allowed under law.
If they grant me permission, they’re going to have to do a lot of answering in court for allowing this slogan. If they refuse, they need to arrest Union Minister Anurag Thakur & BJP candidate Kapil Mishra immediately for raising this slogan at their rallies. Hum bhi dekhenge.”
Then, on 30 January, he had posted the following update. “The Delhi Police still hasn’t responded on my permission request to hold a protest chanting “gaddaaron ko goli maaro” against communal forces. I’ll, therefore, be visiting Parliament Street Police Station in Delhi on Saturday (1 Feb) at 3pm to demand a response from the Delhi Police on my permission request.”
The slogan, “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalo ko” was raised at a pro-CAA rally by BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who also went on to become the party’s candidate from the Model Town seat in the Delhi polls. Anurag Thakur, BJP MP and Union Minister of State for Finance, also led chants of the same slogan at a party rally. Both Mishra and Thakur have faced punitive action from the Election Commission for the same.
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