You may have read the news about Vikram Singh Chauhan being garlanded on the premises of the Karkardooma Court in Delhi last Thursday. He was the same man who had attacked Kanhaiya Kumar and the journalists at the Patiala House court a day before. On that ill-fated day (15 February), the journalists were threatened for taking video footage of lawyers beating up students and scribes. They were told to leave the spot or they would return home with broken bones. Despite all this, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi called it a “minor scuffle”. Kanhaiya Kumar claimed that there is a threat to his life and wanted the Supreme Court to intervene.
Both Kanhaiya Kumar and the journalists stand vindicated today as a sting operation by a media house revealed how the lawyers had hatched a “well-planned conspiracy to teach ‘anti-national’ elements a lesson”.
Lawyers Admit Having Beaten Kanhaiya
What has emerged from the sting operation is a stark truth: Vikram Singh Chauhan, Om Sharma and Yashpal Singh had led the attack on journalists and Kanhaiya Kumar’s supporters at the Patiala House court on 15 February.
Vikram Singh Chauhan, the 38-year-old lawyer from Haryana has now been exposed as the “face of the attack on journalists and JNU students”. Chauhan was seen explaining how he “beat up that boy for 3 hours” and how he and his accomplices forced Kanhaiya Kumar to say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. The lawyer claimed to have beaten him so much that “he wet his pants”. As Kanhaiya Kumar would walk down the premise of the Delhi High Court today for the hearing of his bail plea, he must be haunted by the sight of those people in black coats.
Outsiders’ Role in Patiala House Cout Incident Confirmed
The lawyers alone were not involved in the attack on Kanhaiya and his supporters at Patiala House court. They, in fact, involved many from outside with the intent of beating up the ‘anti-nationals’. Chauhan admitted to inviting “many boys from Dwarka and Rohini” by writing on Facebook and asking them to come. They had also planned further attacks on the day of Kanhaiya’s hearing.
Have Police Been a Silent Supporter of Hooliganism?
If Chauhan’s words are to be believed, he had asked the police and CRPF personnel to join in the mass-thrashing of Kanhaiya’s supporters, but they refused to oblige because they were in uniform. If such revelations are not held against Chauhan and Delhi Police, then Bassi should not feel the moral compulsion of answering the question: why did the police stand at a distance and not do their bit to prevent the hoodlums from creating such a situation?
Vikram Chauhan: A BJP Loyalist
Political affiliation of an individual can help investigators connect the dots and arrive at a somewhat conclusive answer as to why an individual did what he did. If we have to understand Vikram Chauhan, we would have to realise that he is an ardent supporter of the BJP. It would be little unfair to label him as a BJP loyalist just because he has been photographed with many BJP leaders. Instead one should focus on his activities like sending out invitations on WhatsApp of BJP events and asking people to be on time.
What Actions Have Been Taken Against Lawyers So Far?
Last Saturday, police had arrested one of the accused lawyers, Sharma, but he was given bail just after an hour. Mild charges under the Indian Penal Code have been slapped against Vikram Chauhan, and other attackers. They have been booked for fighting in a public place and disturbing peace. These charges are easily bailable. What came as a surprise to me is the news about the accused lawyers who are planning to file defamation case against news channels for allegedly calling them goons.
