Ghaziabad: Police on Sunday, October 13 dispersed controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand’s supporters, who wanted to hold a ‘mahapanchayat’ outside the Dasna temple in his favor.
The administration did not permit the ‘mahapanchayat’ as prohibitory orders were in place.
Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation general secretary Dr Udita Tyagi had sought the permission for the ‘mahapanchyat’.
All the roads connecting the temple from villages and the city were barricaded since morning as a precautionary measure.
Some of the priest’s followers tried to remove the barricades to reach the temple but police chased them.
Several purported videos of the incident went viral on social media in which policemen were seen using batons to disperse the crowd.
Tyagi also staged a sit-in protest at the temple’s gate along with seers, alleging devotees were beaten up by police outside the temple.
BJP MLA from Loni, Nand Kishore Gurjar, also came in Narsinghanand’s support and tried to go to the temple. After the police stopped him, he sat on the highway and held a ‘panchayat’.
He demanded that Rohingya Muslims be expelled from the country and NSA be imposed on those who allegedly attacked the Dasna temple.
Tyagi, in a video released on social media, leveled allegations that police put the followers, who wanted to join the ‘mahapanchayat’, under house arrest on Saturday night.
“Two saints have also been arrested by police from the temple. Several followers of the priest have also been arrested while they were trying to reach the temple,” she said.
ENT doctor BP Tyagi, who was heading towards the temple in an ambulance with medicines for the checkup of saints, was also allegedly stopped.
When asked about the alleged lathi-charge on the followers of the priest, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Rural, NK Tiwari told PTI that he had not gone through the videos. “After viewing the videos, action will be initiated, if required,” he said.
On October 4, a mob of another community gathered outside the Dasna temple in the night and allegedly pelted stones on the temple.
The mob was allegedly protesting against alleged objectionable comments made by Narsinghanand on Prophet Muhammad.
Anil Yadav (40), a close aide of Narsinghanand, was arrested on October 11.
Yadav, alias Chhota Narsinghanand, is a co-accused in the case of alleged objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
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