'I am giving freedom': Man on Facebook minutes before Jamia firing

Minutes before he fired at anti-CAA protestors in Jamia Nagar on Thursday, an armed man made a number of posts on Facebook saying ‘azaadi de raha hun’ (I am giving freedom), ‘Shaheen Bhag khel khatm’ (Run Shaheen, the game is over) and ‘mere ghar ka khayal rakhna’ (take care of my home).
 
While the Facebook profile named the man as Rambhakt Gopal, police officials said they were yet to ascertain whether it was his real name. The man also went live on Facebook five times from the protest site and the cover picture of his profile showed him holding a sword. The Facebook profile was deleted after screenshots of the posts were shared widely on social media.
 
According to witnesses, the man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters in Jamia Nagar, injuring a student, before walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area.
 
According to witnesses, the man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters in Jamia Nagar, injuring a student, before walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area.
 
A Facebook spokesperson said there was no place on Facebook for those who commit this kind of violence. “We have removed the gunman’s Facebook account and are removing any content that praises, supports, or represents the gunman or the shooting as soon as we identify it.”
 
According to its Dangerous Individuals and Organizations Policy, Facebook removes content related to terrorist activity, organised hate, mass murder (including attempts) or multiple murder, human trafficking, and organised violence or criminal activity.
 
The way the lone shooter acted is similar to the one the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting took place in October 2018, where the shooter had put up hate speech messages and videos on Gab, a social media platform that was developed after Facebook and Twitter were accused of being biased towards conservatives.
 
Shah directs strictest action
 
Home Minister Amit Shah directed Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik to take the strictest action in the case of the man firing a pistol at protesters. The home minister also said the Centre would not tolerate such incidents and the guilty will not be spared. “I have spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner on the incident of firing in Delhi and have directed him to take strictest action," he said in a tweet. Shah said there would be serious action into the incident.
 
Protests break out

As night fell, massive protests broke out with students and others gathering near the university, breaking barricades and clashing with police personnel. Some demonstrators, including a woman, could be seen being forcibly taken away. Many sang the national anthem. While the man was overpowered by police and arrested, the injured student Shahdab Farooq, who was seen bleeding from his left hand, was taken to the AIIMS.