Anmol Pritam, a reporter working with National Dastak, alleged on Twitter that a protesting crowd had tried to force him to chant "Jai Shri Ram" ("Glory to Lord Rama") on Sunday as he was covering a rally organised under the title "Bharat Jodo (Unite India) Movement" at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
The rally was organised to push a demand to repeal colonial-era laws and to bring legal uniformity for all citizens across India.
A video posted by Pritam shows that protesters became infuriated when he asked questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to eradicate poverty, farmer protests, and other issues.
The protesters, in turn, started calling him a "jihadi" and tried to make him chant "Jai Shri Ram" ("Glory to Lord Rama"), "Vande Mataram" ("I Bow to Thee, Mother") and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" ("Victory for Mother India").
“If you want to live in this country, you will have to say it [Jai Shri Ram]”, one person from the crowd is heard saying in the video.
However, Pritam refused to do as they demanded and told the crowd that he wouldn't be forced into chanting the slogan, but would do it when he felt like it.
Soon after the video went viral on Twitter, many journalists, activists, and ordinary social media users expressed their support for Pritam, with the hashtag #ISupportAnmol.
I've been in a similar position(2019) and a photo with the goli maaro MP saved my life. The trauma one has to go through is ineffable. An attack on one's liberty of thoughts and believes is what it is. It's a brave act. Kudos to Anmol. Thanks for inspiring. https://t.co/3iXV2pgDLs
On Monday, a police complaint was filed against "unknown persons" for promoting enmity between different groups.