Dehradun: A large number of people on Saturday gathered outside the Uttarakhand Police Headquarters in Dehradun protesting against the hate speeches delivered by several prominent Hindutva leaders against Muslims at a ‘Dharm Sansad’ in Haridwar.
The protesters, under the banner of Muslim Seva Sangathan, demanded strict action against all those who were part of the hate event.
Speaking to Siasat.com over the phone, Muslim Seva Sangathan president, Naeem Qureshi, said that a few thousand people gathered outside the state police headquarters and protested against the genocidal calls against Muslims.
He said that they demanded the speakers who called for an establishment of Hindu Rashtra be booked under sedition. “Narendra Modi is elected by the people under the Constitution of India. So when these people say they want to establish Hindu Rashtra, they are waging a war against the elected government, which is seditious,” Qureshi said.
Qureshi told Siasat.com that the director-general of police (DGP) Uttarakhand, Ashok Kumar, has ordered an SIT to probe the entire matter without any delay and assured the protesters of necessary police action.
Extremely provocative speeches inciting violence against Muslims were made by participants at the event held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar for three days from December 16 to 19. It was organised by Yati Narasinghanand, the priest of Dasna temple in Ghaziabad, who is known for his hate-spewing remarks against Muslims.
During his speech in Haridwar, Narsinghanand targeted Muslims and urged Hindus to take up weapons against them. “Swords look good on stage only. This battle will be won by those with better weapons,” the spiteful Yati had said.
Videos from the hate conclave surfaced on social media, where various Hindutva leaders spew hate openly against religious minorities with the slogan ‘shastra mev jayte’.
General Secretary of Hindu Mahasabha and Mahamandleshwar of Niranjini Akhada, Annapurna Maa addressing the gathering had called for a violent revolt against Muslims. “If you want to finish them off, we are ready to kill them and go to jail. We need 100 soldiers who can kill 20 lakh of them. We will be winners. Keep aside books and scriptures and pick your weapons,” she had said.
Following the outrage, cases were booked against a few in connection with the hate speeches. Swami Dharamdas and Sadhvi Annapurna, along with Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi (Waseem Rizvi) were booked by the police.
First Information Reports (FIRs) have been lodged under Section 153A of the IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language).
However, none of the speakers has been summoned by the police so far.
Several Opposition leaders have voiced their opinion against the hate conclave, but there has been no official condemnation from the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party.
