Anand Swaroop Maharaj, a Hindutva leader and accused in the Haridwar Dharam Sansad case, has threatened to follow the path of Bhagat Singh and bomb the assembly, if the only two accused arrested in the case are not released, in the span of a week.
Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi aka Waseem Rizvi was arrested on 13 January in the Haridwar hate speeches case. The Uttarakhand police also arrested the head priest of the Dasna Devi, Yati Narsinghanad on January 15, for his misogynistic comments on women, following which the hate speech charges were added.
At another similar Dharma Sansad organised in Prayagraj on Sunday, Swaroop who also happens to be the president of Varanasi-based outfit Shankaracharya Parishad, stated that religious order has been passed and the country has been declared a ‘Hindu Rashtra. The community has three demands that are being conveyed to the government through the press and social media.
“The order has been passed to 125 crore Hindus in the country to record history accordingly. It is essential to expand the agitation and pressurize the government, which will eventually bow down to the demand of the public,” claimed Swaroop.
Swaroop proposed three demands of the Dharma Sansad. The first is that the country be declared a Hindu Rashtra.
“The Prime Minister has been directed to rectify the ‘constitutional error’ of calling it a secular state and strengthen the anti-conversion law by awarding a death sentence to those who convert. And lastly, we demand the release of our two religious warriors, who have been arrested.
“If our warriors are not released within the span of a week, the government must get ready to face dire consequences. It is possible that the Bhagat Singh assembly incident may reoccur,” threatened Swaroop, with a smile.
The incident being referred to is the Central Assembly Bombing Case where freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt threw bombs at the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi on 8 April 1929, in a protest against the British imperialism and the unpopular Trade Disputes Bill.
Hate against minorities has been on the rise in the country since last year, after a three day Dharma Sansad between December 17-19 where various Hindutva leaders spew hate openly against religious minorities with the slogan ‘shastra mev jayte’.
Swaroop, in the Haridwar Dharma Sansad, had threatened a revolt of that of 1857 if the government does not listen to their demands of a Hindu Rashtra. He had also threatened people, hotels, and restaurants in Haridwar not to celebrate Christmas or else face consequences.
When videos from the hate conclave surfaced on social media, complaints were registered with the police against the leaders. Arrests were made only a month after, as the Supreme Court intervened.