Two Haryana youth, who are also members of a cow vigilante group, have claimed that they are responsible for the recent attack on JNU student and activist Umar Khalid. Shockingly, the duo—Naveen Dalal and Darvesh Shahpur—have made these claims in a video that was posted on Facebook, which was also widely circulated on WhatsApp. Khalid received the video through a friend.

Darvesh Shahpur, a resident of Haryana’s Hissar district, says in the video that even though they respect the Supreme Court of India and the Constitution, it doesn’t have provisions to tackle ‘mad dogs.’ He added: “We request the Central Government to bring laws to tackle these mad dogs. Jo ye JNU wali gang hai, hum inhe paagal kutte bol rahe hain. Ye pagal kutton ke saman hain jo apne desh ko khokla karne mein lage hue hain. [We are referring to the JNU gang as mad dogs. They are like mad dogs who are damaging the country.]” Shahpur’s Facebook bio says that he was a former Ola cab driver, who currently runs two Facebook pages – Desi Samachar and Gau Rakshak Dal.

Shahpur goes on to confess that the attempt at Khalid’s life was made by them. “Humare Haryana ke bujurgon ne humme sikhaya hai pagal kutton ko bina deri kiye adjust kar dena chahiye. Jo Dilli mein Umar Khalid wali ghatna ghati thi uske jimmedar hain mein Darvesh Shahpyr aur Naveen Dalal Mandhoti dono hain. [Our elders in Haryana have taught us to deal with mad dogs without any delay. We–Darvesh Shahpur and Naveen Dalal Mandhoti – take responsibility for the Umar Kahlid incident which happened in Delhi].”

In a tweet, Khalid said his attackers were seen with Sudarshan News Editor Suresh Chavhanke. On Dalal’s Facebook page, he has put up pictures of him along with the Indian National Congress Member of Parliament Deepender Singh Hooda.

An attempt on Khalid’s life was made outside the Constitution Club of India in Delhi on August 13. Khalid had gone to attend an event—“Khauff se Azaadi”—organised by a citizens’ collective called ‘United Against Hate.’ According to Khalid, his attacker was carrying a gun in his hand; he tried to fire, but the resistance from Khalid and his friend—who overpowered him—forced the attacker to flee. The attacker crossed the road, fired an aerial gunshot and fled the spot. Later a CCTV screengrab was made public in which the probable attacker of the incident could be seen.

The duo has requested the police not to trouble anyone else for the incident and claimed that they will surrender in the village of Sikh revolutionary Kartar Singh Sarabha. “We will surrender on  17 August at 12 in the noon at the house of Kartar Singh Sarabha.”

The video ends with Shahpur saying that if Khalid is afraid despite the Army being deployed at the border and the police deployed on streets, “he should go to Pakistan…he cried after two slaps and talks of bringing Afzal Gurus.”

Shahpur said they were ‘inspired’ by poems of Hari Om Panwar. The threats and confessions made in the video were released on August 15.

Incidentally, a day after the attempt on Khalid’s life, on August 14, poet Hariom Panwar and Vineet Chauhan were present at an event at the Constitution Club. Chauhan attacked JNU students and the likes of Khalid in the presence of Panwar. He went on to say, “JNU students need to be taught a lesson.” While reading poems at the event called to remember martyrs, Chauhan said, “their [JNU students] screws need to be tightened,” to which a large section of the crowd attending the event responded with cheers and claps. Panwar had praised Chauhan for his poems and speeches and said he will carry forward his legacy of ‘patriotic poems.’ 

Meanwhile, the only image of the probable attacker was caught in the CCTV camera installed at the VP Pant House near to Constitution Club of India. Banojyotsna Lahiri, JNU student and member of United Against Hate, told Newslaundry, “the man with saffron cloth on his shoulder looks similar to one caught on the CCTV camera. However, on the day of attack we had seen his full body, hence it is difficult to ascertain whether he is the one by looking at the video [as it is bust shot].”

Khalid’s friend Lahiri further added, “We have informed the police about the video. They are going to investigate the video first and then act accordingly.”

Newslaundry spoke to Parliament Street SHO Dinesh Kumar about the video in which Dalal and Shahpur have claimed the responsibility of the attack. He said, “The video has been handed over to the special cell as they are looking after the case now. They are investigating the video too.”