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Cameraperson: Shiv Kumar Maurya
Video editor: Deepthi Ramdas
From calls to attack masjids and maulvis, to appeals to Hindutva followers to kill those they think are anti-national, here is all the hate speech, calls to violence, and contempt of court and Constitution that took place at the Dharam Sansad event titled ‘Sant Sammelan Against Islamic Jihad and for the Creation of Hindu Rashtra’, in poll-bound UP’s Prayagraj on 29 January.
The event was organised by the same people who conducted the Haridwar Dharam Sansad.
Here are some of the most explicit examples of hate speech, calls to violence and comments insulting the judiciary, that were made by Hindutva leaders at the event.
Speaking to The Quint after the event was completed, Swami Prabodhanand Giri, a member of the Dharam Sansad Core Committee, concurred with Krishnacharya and remarked, "It is not the job of mahatmas like us to bow down before these do kauri ke log (worthless people)."
When we asked Swami Anand Swaroop, member of the Dharam Sansad core committee and an organiser of the Prayagraj Sant Sammelan, about whether he supported Krishnacharya Maharaj's statement mocking and insulting the judicial process, he replied, "Our court is above the Supreme Court."
Asked whether he condoned such calls for violence, Swami Anand Swaroop said, "If non-violence doesn’t get us to our goal, then we should take up violence. Following non-violence is the path of dharma, but taking up violence for your religion is an even greater act of dharma."
Swami Prabodhanand Giri, who had led a hate speech event in UP's Ghaziabad on 2 January, made a similarly hateful speech in Prayagraj as well.
He raked up the same analogy as he had in Ghaziabad, where he compared Hindus to a pigeon that was under threat from a 'jihadi cat'. At the Sant Sammelan event in Prayagraj, Prabodhanand went so far as to say that Hindus must attack and gouge out the two eyes of the 'jihadi cat' in order to preserve themselves.
Both Prabodhanand and Swaroop said that they define jihadi as anyone who understands the Quran.
In a clear, unambiguous reference to AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Swami Narendranand Saraswati remarked, "That Hyderabadi dog, who is an elected representative, talks about IPC and CrPC. In Kanpur, he antagonised the police, the media and the Hindu community. Why is there no FIR against him? Such an elected representative should have his (parliamentary) membership revoked, and then he should be thrown in jail and thrashed there."
Swami Yatindranand Giri, who was introduced at the Sant Sammelan as a member of the Juna Akhada, said, "There is no bigger lie than the statement that all religions are equal. There is only one (true) religion in the world - Sanatan Hindu dharm."
And these aren't all the instances of hate speech and calls to violence which were made by Hindutva leaders at the Prayagraj Dharam Sansad.
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