Just days after his arrest for distributing swords in the name of “self-defence of Hindus”, Hindu Raksha Dal president Pinki Chaudhary was out on bail. Within hours, he was back on camera, warning that his “warriors” would “straighten up” Deepak Kumar – dubbed “Mohammad Deepak” after a viral video in Uttarakhand’s Kotdwar.

It’s a sequence that has played out repeatedly. At least 30 FIRs. Fifteen years. And still, a cycle for which supporters have a phrase: aaj jail, kal bail, aur phir wahi khel.

Since 2011, Ghaziabad-based Pinki Chaudhary, alias Bhupendra Singh Tomar, has been named in FIRs across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Uttarakhand. Around a dozen are at a single police station. Hate speeches, arms cases, death threats – the list of alleged offences is long. Chargesheets have been filed in most cases. Some have been closed. Many crawl through the court. Though he remains free, issuing threats in real time.

Here is a chronological account of the FIRs, drawn from documents reviewed by Newslaundry and interviews with Pinki Chaudhary’s lawyers. What emerges is a portrait of a system where cases accumulate, with a question for the police: what does it take to secure a conviction? 

FIR #1: 2011, Sahibabad police station

The first case on record is from 2011, at the Sahibabad police station in Ghaziabad. Pinki was charged under Sections 323, 324, 504, and 427 of the IPC – assault, grievous hurt, insult, and property damage. A chargesheet was filed on December 28, 2011. The case was eventually dismissed, according to Pinki’s lawyers and information shared by the police.

FIR #2: 2014, Indirapuram police station

This was the case that first put Pinki Chaudhary in the public eye. He and his associates attacked the Aam Aadmi Party office in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad. An FIR was registered at the Indirapuram police station under Sections 147, 149, 452, 323, 504, 354, 153, 336, 427, and 506 of the IPC. Fourteen people were arrested alongside Pinki. He reportedly spent nearly four months in jail; the others were out within a week.

One of those 14 was Lodhi Ravindra Rajput, who is today part of Pinki’s legal team. “Former AAP leader Prashant Bhushan had made controversial remarks about Kashmir,” he told Newslaundry. “We went to protest at their office. The police arrested us.”

A chargesheet was filed. The case is pending before court. 

FIR #3: 2016, Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad

On December 7, 2016, police caught Pinki and associates constructing an unauthorised religious structure on Irrigation Department land in village Kaila. When asked to stop, they allegedly turned violent. A case was filed the same day at the Vijay Nagar police station under Sections 332, 353, 504, and 70 of the IPC. Pinki is currently out on bail in the case.

FIR #4: 2017, Sahibabad police station

On April 16, 2017, Sub-Inspector Dhirendra Singh Yadav filed an FIR at the Sahibabad police station naming Pinki and 20 others, plus 125 unidentified persons. The allegation: they organised an unauthorised procession and attacked police with sticks, bricks, and weapons. Charges included IPC Section 307 – attempt to murder. Pinki was spent time in judicial custody though section 307 was subsequently withdrawn in the chargesheet filed on September 13, 2017, according to Pinki’s lawyer Sanket Katara, who doubles as convener of the Hindu Raksha Dal.

The next hearing is on February 21 this year.

FIR #5: 2017, Kavinagar police station

In December 2017, a Hindu woman and a Muslim man married with both families’ consent, under the Special Marriage Act, before the Sub-District Magistrate in Ghaziabad. Both families celebrated with a joint feast. Pinki and his associates arrived to protest. They carried sticks, blocked roads, raised slogans, and vandalised vehicles. An FIR was filed against 13........

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