Lucknow: Days after the unfortunate Delhi Red Fort blast that claimed 13 innocent lives and unleashed hate towards the Muslim community, with hate online debates and comments about “Islamic terrorism,” an Uttar Pradesh police inspector has won widespread praise for saying that “terrorism has no religion.
The officer’s remarks, captured in a viral video, have drawn praise across social media.
Inspector Narendra Kumar Sharma, posted at the Deoband police station, says, “A wrong person has no religion. They can be from any religion. Naxalites are from the Hindu religion. Many terrorists were caught in the Navy, many terrorists from the Army were also caught. Many Hindu terrorists were caught in Punjab.”
“It is wrong to think that only Muslims are terrorists. They can be in any religion. Our ideal scripture Ramayana nowhere says to harm any person,” he added.
He also said, “In my 34 years of service, let any Muslim say that the inspector showed bias based on religion. If such a person comes forward, I will resign from my job and leave. Our caste is Police. We are neither Hindu nor Muslim. Police is our religion. Police is our faith. We will die for India. We will sacrifice ourselves for the nation. Even if we lose our lives for the country’s security, it’s not a problem.”
Explaining why he joined the force, Sharma said, “I did not join the police for money. My family’s condition was good. My grandfather was a landlord. My father had plenty of farmland. When I used to go to study, I would see what was happening with the poor. There was so much brokering at the police station. So many brokers would roam around wearing white kurta-pyjamas without even owning one bigha of land. They would catch one party and take five thousand. They would broker deals all day. Seeing all this, I joined the police to reform it.”
According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, Sharma had called a meeting at the police station on Tuesday to prevent tension in the area.
He made these remarks during his address to community members. Someone recorded the meeting and shared parts of the video on social media, where only a short, selective portion quickly went viral.
Many users praised the Inspector online. One user wrote, “Takes real courage to be in the UP Police and speak up like this. Deep respect to this officer.”
Another user commented, “True leader, who believes in the Constitution, believes in religious books, believes in human beings. Great leader. But the government might call him. Let’s see.”
A third user wrote, “What a good example to have in these terrible times. Kudos to the officer!”
Transferred after the video went viral
After the video went viral, inspector Sharma was transferred.
Saharanpur Superintendent of Police Ashish Tiwari confirmed to Siasat.com, saying, “He has been transferred to the Reserve Police Lines. There is no suspension.”
Meanwhile, Sharma defended himself, saying that his remarks had been misinterpreted. He said only a short, selective part of the video was circulated online and insisted that the full recording would show he never intended to offend any religious community.
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