Reality show artiste’s performance creates jam in Delhi, police remove him

Soon after reality show contestant Varun Dagar alleged that he was manhandled by police and parking attendants while he was performing at Connaught Place in New Delhi, traders’ association of the area said that one can’t be permitted to take the law into their hands in the name of performance.

Dagar posted a video on Instagram on Tuesday, in which he wrote in Hindi, “When the police arrived to remove me, the parking attendants of B-block also came along with them. When I was packing my stuff, a parking staff came there and pulled my collar and abused me. I was pushed out of that spot by them.”

He further wrote: “After that one policeman pulled my hair and hit me with his elbow and took me to the police van. When I asked him what my fault was, he said we will tell me at the police station. He had no right to touch, but he showed his anger at me.”

Reacting sharply to Dagar’s post, New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) tweeted from its official handle, “Please issue public guidelines that Connaught Place is a commercial market complex not a park for artists. Dagar gathers crowds in front of shops and creates nuisance for shopkeepers. When police take action, he cuts a sorry figure. Cops are requested to shift him to India Gate or Central Park or any other public park.”

According to police, Dagar was removed from the area when a crowd gathered at the spot. “The incident took place on Monday, when he was performing at Connaught Place and it ultimately created a heavy rush in the area. He was later removed. He had been removed earlier as well. We can’t allow anyone to create a nuisance,” a senior police officer said, who asked not to be named.