Haridwar Hate Speech Case: 2nd FIR Filed Against Yati Narsinghanand, 9 Others

Hate speeches, targeting minorities, were delivered by a number of Hindutva leaders in Haridwar on 17-19 December.

A second case has been registered by the Uttarakhand Police in relation to the communal conclave held at Haridwar.

(Photo Courtesy: Maharishi Swami Sagar Sindhuraj/Facebook)

Nearly two weeks after hate speeches were delivered at a 'Dharam Sansad' in Haridwar, a second case has been registered by the Uttarakhand Police in relation to the communal conclave.

Ten persons – including former Chief of Shia Waqf Board Wasim Rizvi, Dsna temple priest Yati Narsinghanand, and Hindu Mahasabha general secretary Annapurna – have been named in the FIR filed at the Jwalapur police station in Haridwar, news agency PTI reported, citing senior sub-inspector Nitesh Sharma.

Other who have been booked are Sindhu Sagar, Dharamdas, Parmananda, Anand Swaroop, Ashwini Upadhyay, Suresh Chahwan, and Prabodhanand Giri.

According to a Times of India report, the FIR has been registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), and 298 (uttering, words, etc, with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person).

The complaint was lodged by Nadeem Ali, a resident of Haridwar, according to PTI.

Previously, another case had been filed against the speakers of the Haridwar assembly where incendiary remarks against the minority Muslim community were made.

No arrests have been made in the case so far.

The Haridwar Hate Speech Case

Rabid hate speeches, targeting minorities, were delivered by a number of Hindutva leaders at a three-day conclave held in the pilgrimage city of Haridwar from 17-19 December.

The event, organised by the controversial Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand, saw multiple calls to incite violence against and kill minorities.

Five days after the conclave in Haridwar, on 23 December, the Uttarakhand Police finally registered a case against Wasim Rizvi alias Jitendra Narayan Tyagi and unnamed others under Section 153A of the IPC (punishment promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc).

The names of Annapurna Maa alias Pooja Shakun Pandey, Bihar resident Dharamdas Maharaj, Yati Narasimhanand, and Sindhu Sagar were subsequently added to the FIR.

Section 295A of the IPC (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage reli­gious feelings) was also added to the charges against the religious leaders.

A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the hate speeches.