NEW DELHI: Rabble-rouser Yati Narsinghanand yet again stoked controversy on Sunday, asking Hindus to pick up arms and making offensive remarks against Muslims, at northwest Delhi’s Burari grounds while addressing a Hindu Mahapanchayat. Delhi Police officials said the organisers did not have permission to hold the event.
Addressing the gathering, Narsighanand, the head of Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi temple, said “40% Hindus will be killed if India were to get a Muslim PM.” He urged Hindus to pick up arms in order to secure their future. “This is the future of Hindus. If you want to change this, be a man (mard bano). What is it to be a man? Someone who is armed,” the priest said, who is on bail in a Haridwar hate speech case.
Some journalists who had gone to cover the event alleged they were manhandled and beaten up by members of the audience. Some of them also alleged they were detained by the Delhi Police and taken to the Mukherjee Nagar Police Station. A senior police officer said, “We have received several complaints from journalists and are lodging FIRs.” One of the FIRs has been lodged under IPC sections for molestation, causing hurt and attempt at snatching against unknown persons, said officials.
Denying allegations the journalists were detained, DCP northwest Usha Rangnani tweeted: “Some of the reporters, willingly... sat in PCR Van stationed at the venue and opted to proceed to police station for security reasons. Nobody was detained.”
Later in the day, the police filed an FIR against the event organiser. “Taking a suo motu cognisance, we have also booked the speakers for inflammatory speech. We have also scanned the CCTV footage and identified some of the speakers,” a senior officer said.
Event by group that held haridwar show
The mahapanchayat was organised by the same group that had earlier held similar controversial events in Haridwar and at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, where anti-Muslim slogans were raised