During the Bengaluru chapter of countrywide protests against the Citizenship Act and National Register of Citizens, protesters chose to defy Section 144 and gathered in huge numbers.

While hundreds were detained for the peaceful protest, Deputy Police Commissioner of Bengaluru Chetan Singh Rathore was seen holding a lapel mic and speaking to the crowd at Town Hall.

Rathore appealed to the crowd to clear the area. “Mob mentality aa jaati hai, vo mob mentality mein chhupa hua koi bhi badmaash hum aankhon se test nahi kar sakte. Vo hum mein se ek koi chhupa hoga (A kind of mob mentality emerges during which we cannot test with our eyes which aggressor hidden in the crowd has instigated the violence. It will be one of us, hidden among us).”

He goes on to say that if such a miscreant were to take advantage of the mob, “pitenge hum sab (everyone will get hurt).” Asking for the crowd’s trust, Rathore said he would sing a song, with the hope that all his fellow patriots would stand with him. Then he led a chorus of the Indian national anthem.

According to reports, the crowd thinned considerably after this speech.

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