Gurgaon: With predictable certainty, ‘fringe groups’ — supercharged gangs of Hindu youths who first appeared during Navratri last year — took to the streets on Wednesday to shut down meat shops across Gurgaon, demanding that “Hindu religious sentiments be respected”.After they vandalised a few shops and thrashed their owners, Gurgaon police stepped in to register a case at Sector 14 police station against them, and arrested four people, who though were released on bail by late evening.On Wednesday morning, youths belonging to Rashtriya Samyukt Hindu Sangarsh Samiti (RSHSS), an umbrella organisation of different Hindu outfits, assembled at Sheetla Mata temple to take out a rally towards Sheetla Mata colony, shutting down an outlet selling biryani, seeing which, other eateries nearby shut shop.From there, they marched to the bus stand and then to Rajiv Nagar, where too, they forced shops to down shutters. Members of the group also vandalised a shop selling meat and thrashed its owner, based on whose complaint, a case was registered against Chetan, Vikas Arya, Abhishek Gaud and Praveen, under sections 107 (abetment), 151 (unlawful assembly), 323 (causing hurt), 504 (provocation) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC.Once four protesters were arrested, the group sat on dharna in front of Sector 14 police station, demanding immediate release of its arrested members. Later in the evening, police released all four on bail bonds of Rs 20,000 each, after warning them of strict action against vandalism. “We arrested four people, but later released them on bail,” said police spokesperson Subhash Bokan.Former BJP district president, Kulbhusan Bharadwaj, who was part of the group, said police acted in haste and arrested the wrong people. “The meat shop owner who filed the complaint, couldn’t identify the people arrested,” said Bharadwaj, adding they had submitted a memo to the district administration on October 4, demanding meat shops be shut during Navratri.Rajiv Mittal of RSHSS said, “The administration gave us assurances, but took no action.” He alleged the administration is biased, that they had accepted the proposal not to disturb Ramzan prayers, when they had protested against namaz being offered on roads.“But the administration is ignoring our demands when we’re asking them to look at our religious sentiments,” said Mittal, adding they will meet on Thursday to decide on future course of action. Gurgaon deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said no one can force licensed meat shops to be shut down. “We urge people not to take law in their hands,” he said.

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