Ghaziabad was thrust into the spotlight after a chilling video showing men brandishing swords and raising aggressive slogans inside the office of the Hindu Raksha Dal (HRD) went viral on social media, prompting swift police action and sparking political and communal ripples.

As many as 10 members of the Hindu Raksha Dal were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly distributing swords from the organisation’s office in Shalimar Garden, police said. Eight swords were recovered during the operation, while the outfit’s national president, Pinky Chaudhary, remains absconding.

According to the police, the video—shot inside the HRD’s Shalimar Garden X-2 office—showed several individuals holding swords aloft, shouting slogans and staging what officials described as an “aggressive demonstration.” Acting on the footage, police registered a case against 40 people, including 30 unidentified individuals, and launched a detailed investigation.

“The police received information on December 29 that Pinky Chaudhary, along with his associates, was distributing swords at the HRD office. The video clearly showed weapons being displayed publicly,” a senior police officer said in a statement.

The accused were arrested near a telephone exchange in the area and identified as Kapil Kumar, Shyam Prasad, Arun Jain, Rampal, Amit Singh, Amit Kumar, Amit Arora, Mohit Kumar, Devendra Baghel, and Ujala Singh. Police said all of them admitted during questioning that they were HRD members and had assembled on Chaudhary’s instructions. The swords, they claimed, were also arranged by him.

As police intensified efforts to locate Chaudhary, the HRD chief released another video online, claiming that the sword distribution had already taken place before police arrived in strength.

He alleged that around 250–300 police personnel reached the office soon after and said several of his workers had been detained. Defending his actions, Chaudhary said he intended to “make Hindu families strong” and linked the event to the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh.

The incident unfolds against the backdrop of heightened emotions following the killing of a young Hindu man by a mob during violent protests in Bangladesh—an episode that has triggered demonstrations by Hindu nationalist groups across several Indian cities.

Police said legal proceedings are underway and the criminal antecedents of all the arrested accused are being verified, even as security agencies keep a close watch to prevent further escalation.