A Hindu Raksha Dal member, who was seen assaulting students during the Cockroach Janta Party protest in Delhi, was welcomed with garlands after his release from custody.
Hindu Raksha Dal member Ravinder Govinda being garlanded after his release
New Delhi,Oct 13, 2026 14:28 IST
Two days after four members of a right-wing outfit were arrested for allegedly assaulting students during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi, one of them, Ravinder Govinda, was seen being welcomed with garlands after his release on Tuesday. A video has gone viral showing Hindu Raksha Dal members garlanding Govinda after he was granted bail in less than 48 hours.
Govinda and three of his aides were arrested on October 10 after a viral video showed them assaulting young students and pushing and hitting women near DDU Marg in central Delhi during the CJP agitation. The CJP had given the Jantar Mantar 2.0 call to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged SIR irregularities. However, an unprecedented security clampdown and over 3,000 detentions took the wind out of the protest.
HOW THE CLASH BROKE OUT ON OCTOBER 10?
The incident happened as CJP protesters were attempting to march towards the heavily barricaded Jantar Mantar. The footage of the assault was widely circulated by the Indian Youth Congress, the AISA and the CJP.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also tweeted a photo of a protester in a black T-shirt being assaulted by the Hindu Raksha Dal members. "Amit Shah's Delhi Police has itself descended to thuggery. It is giving free rein and encouragement to the real goons of RSS-BJP to unleash violence against women and youth," Gandhi tweeted.
The identity of the protester seen in the black T-shirt became another flashpoint. While several social media accounts claimed the protester was a girl, Govinda told India Today that the person was a boy. He also accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading misinformation.
Narrating the sequence of events, Govinda claimed he acted in self-defence. The 35-year-old claimed that he was travelling with his aides to the Jhandewalan Temple when his car was surrounded by CJP members near Connaught Place.
In no time, Govinda claimed, they started kicking the vehicle and also abused them. He claimed that it could have been due to the saffron flag on the vehicle and the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan written on it.
Govinda said he feared that he and his aides could be lynched if they stepped out of the car. He claimed they got out of the vehicle only after cops arrived at the scene.
"They kicked our car and abused us. If we had gotten out, they would have killed us," he said.
While Govinda admitted that he and his aides assaulted the protesters, he maintained that they acted in self-defence.
Contrary to claims, he further alleged that the protester seen in a black T-shirt was a boy and accused him of provoking others. "That person in the black T-shirt was a boy, not a girl. Rahul Gandhi lied on social media," he said.
He also argued that the viral video circulating on social media did not capture the full incident. Govinda said he shared another piece of footage with Delhi Police that showed his group being surrounded by the protesters. He claimed the video helped support his version of events, which eventually got him relief.
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