The Delhi Police on Saturday night, October 10, issued a strong clarification following viral social media videos that alleged police personnel entered the premises of the historic Gurdwara Bangla Sahib wearing shoes during preventive security operations.
Dismissing the claims as misleading and circulated with “malicious intent,” law enforcement officials clarified that the officers filmed were walking in a common public passage where all devotees are permitted to wear footwear prior to reaching the shoe-deposit counter (Jora Sahib).
Allegations Aimed at Outraging Religious Sentiments
Addressing the backlash on social media, the Delhi Police shared official video footage depicting the exact layout of the premises to set the record straight:
”The officials were walking in the common passage which is used by all devotees to reach the entry point of the Gurdwara. The process is the same for all devotees coming to Gurdwara… The video circulating on social media is aimed at outraging the feelings of a respectable religious community with malicious intent.”
Police authorities added that legal action is being initiated under relevant provisions of law against social media handles and individuals propagating the misleading video to disturb communal harmony.
Context: Protester Detentions Near Religious Hubs
The controversy erupted amidst heavy police deployment across central Delhi, including outside Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and surrounding guest houses, where police teams were tracking and detaining demonstrators linked to the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) anti-CEC protest.
Earlier in the day, police had picked up several student activists and protesters who had sought shelter in surrounding public complexes overnight.
