New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS): Delhi Police has arrested two men in connection with the thrashing of two boys who were on their way to participate in a religious procession in northeast Delhi, an officer said on Monday.

The duo boys, Ankit and Sidhu, were thrashed by members of different community for “driving fast and shouting slogans” when they were passing through a religious place.

The accused were identified as Shakir (33) and Noor Hasan (29), both residents of Nand Nagri area.

On Saturday, a police control room call was made to the Nand Nagri police station at 6:40 p.m., in which the caller reported that his brother was being assaulted and urgently needed assistance.

In response, the police promptly arrived at the location. Upon conducting an initial investigation, it was found that Ankit (19) and his friends had come from Dilshad Garden to Nand Nagri to join the Valmiki Jayanti procession.

They were in a group of approximately 10-12 young men riding on 5-6 two-wheelers. They were about half a kilometre away from the designated route of the procession.

They had taken an unconventional route through E Block, passing in front of the Masjid to reach the procession. This route was not typically used for Valmiki processions as it was predominantly used by another community.

According to DCP (northeast), Joy Tirkey, Ankit and Sidhu were on separate bikes and were chanting slogans.

“While the other boys on two-wheelers managed to pass through without incident, Ankit and Sidhu were confronted by members of the other community near E Block Masjid. This led to a confrontation during which Ankit and Sidhu were physically assaulted, and their motorcycles were damaged,”: said the DCP.

It's important to note that this incident was unrelated to the Valmiki procession, which had concluded without any issues.

“The Valmiki procession was well-managed with the presence of two inspector-ranked officers, local security deployment, and one platoon of outer force. Additionally, there were no motorcycles in the procession; all participants were either on foot or riding in jhankis,” said the DCP.

“Efforts are underway to identify other individuals involved in this incident, with the assistance of CCTV footage, witnesses, and informers,” said the DCP.