Chants of 'Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko' were once again heard in Delhi on Saturday, this time at Rajiv Chowk metro station. Pro-Citizenship Amendment Act slogans were also heard aboard a Delhi Metro train.
Videos of the incident that have since gone viral show five to six men garbed in saffron t-shirts and kurtas sloganeering. They began while inside the train, as it was about to halt at the station, and then continued after disembarking.
Reportedly some commuters too joined in with rallying cries to "shoot the traitors".
Confirming the video, the DMRC said that the incident had taken place on Saturday morning and that the railway staff had immediately handed them over to the police.
According to reports the protesters were soon intercepted by the Central Industrial Security Force, who then turned them over to the Delhi police.
Six people have been detained for the same. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Metro said that they had been found chanting slogans at around 12:30 pm and were detained soon after.
"An interrogation is being carried out," he added.
Under Delhi Metro (Operation and Maintenance) Act 2002, any kind of demonstration or nuisance is prohibited on Delhi metro premises and can be removed from the area if necessary.
Many on Twitter were outraged by the now viral video.
Several Twitter users reminded that 42 people have been killed in the recent spate of violence in the national capital.
"What's next," asked one Twitter user.
"...there is no greater traitor than he who tries to destroy the fabric of the nation," wrote another.
The slogan has been popularised in recent times, with BJP leader Kapil Mishra chanting the incendiary dialogue at a rally prior to the Delhi elections. Mishra had later had an FIR lodged against him by the Delhi Police over another controversial comment.
Following Kapil Mishra's usage, Union Minister Anurag Thakur took up the rather violent rallying cry. In the run up to the Assembly elections he was spotted chanting "desh ke gaddaron ko" at a rally. To this, the audience responded with "goli maro saalo ko" (shoot down the traitors).
Also on Saturday, there was a "peace march" organised at the Jantar Mantar against "jihadi terrorism" in northeast Delhi. This was incidentally attended by Mishra who had allegedly made provocative statements on Sunday before the riots broke out in the national capital this week.
(With inputs from agencies)
