Jamia shooter Ram Bhakt Gopal arrested for delivering provocative speech at Mahapanchayat

In a key development on Monday, the Haryana police arrested Gopal Sharma for allegedly making provocative comments against the Muslim community at a Mahapanchayat in Gurugram. Sharma, who refers to himself as Ram Bhakt Gopal, is infamous for opening fire on anti-CAA protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi on January 30, 2020. In the present case, a complaint was lodged against him by Dinesh, a resident of Jamalpur village in Gurgaon, who runs a private business.

The complaint read, "On 04.07.2021 a Mahapanchayat was organised at the Ramlila Ground, Pataudi, where a man Gopal Sharma alias Ram Gopal Bhakt delivered a very provocative speech which could have caused riots and ruined the law and order situation, and this speech was inciting religious sentiments. The video of this speech has gone viral on social media". In the purported video of the speech, he warned those with a "terrorist mindset" that Pataudi is "not far" if he can travel 100 km away to Jamia Millia Islamia in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Subsequently, the Pataudi Police Station registered an FIR on July 11. Gopal was booked under Sections 153A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code. After being produced in court, he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days. 

The Jamia firing 

The CAA seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. After an hours-long debate in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the legislation was cleared by a majority of the members voting in the favour of the Centre in December 2019. However, it triggered nationwide protests across the country owing to the perception that this law discriminates on the basis of religion.

The protesters had adopted a number of slogans including a chant demanding 'azadi' (freedom) from a litany of injustices. Marching up to a group of students on January 30 last year, Ram Bhakt Gopal had shouted slogans such as 'Yeh lo azadi' (Here, take freedom) and 'Desh mein jo rehna hoga, Vande Mataram kehna hoga' (If you want to stay in the country, you have to say Vande Mataram). After one student was injured in the firing, he was booked under IPC Section 307 (Attempt to murder). While he was sent to a correctional home by the juvenile justice board, he was released after a few months.