In the backdrop of rising Islamophobia and tension in France over the Nice Church attack, a signboard pointing to the India Islamic Cultural Centre located in Lodhi Road was defaced. The Hindu Sena claimed responsibility and said its workers were responding to radical terrorist activities in France.
The posters stuck on the signboard were immediately removed by the Police after the matter was reported by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). FIR was registered against unknown persons of the Hindu Sena group.
According to a senior official, "We have registered a case under Section 3 of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act against unknown people. We are scanning CCTV cameras installed in and around the vicinity but have not found any relevant footage."
"Our workers expressed anger against terrorist activities by putting posters"
Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta confirmed to The Quint and said he got to know that some of the group's workers were behind it. When we asked the workers, they said radical terrorist activities are taking place all over the world, particularly in France Our workers expressed their anger against such activities by putting posters at the India Islamic Centre.
Gupta also referred to the protests that broke out in various parts of the country against French President Emmanuel Macron's defence of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
Three people died in a knife attack at a church in Nice last week. It was described by French President Emmanuel Macron as an "Islamist terrorist attack". This attack was followed after an assailant decapitated a French middle school teacher who showed caricatures of Prophet Muhammed for a class on free speech
Other incidents of vandalism
This is not the first time the Hindu Sena has vandalised public property and defaced road signs in Delhi to showcase their outrage. Earlier in June, a signboard of the Chinese Embassy was defaced against the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in clashes with the Chinese troops in Ladak Galwan Valley.
In May 2015, signboards of Akbar Road and Feroz Shah Road were plastered with posters of the group.
