By KALYAN DAS
DEHRADUN: Several seers at a ‘dharm sabha’ held by Uttarakhand-based right-wing group, Rudra Sena, in Chakrata made derogatory comments against minorities and allegedly called for their economic boycott and even violence against them.
‘Event was held in presence of cops who videographed it, no complaint received’
In some of the videos, accessed by TOI, participants can be purportedly heard making statements in Hindi, saying: “No nonSanatani would be allowed to settle in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand” and “peace cannot prevail in the world, unless every ‘jihadi’ is eliminated.”
President of Hindu Raksha Sena and representative of a prominent akhara, Prabodhanand Giri, was also present. The addresses of the participants were live streamed on Facebook. One of the participants, Hathyogi Maharaj, the former national spokesperson of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, purportedly said, “If saints and seers talk of eliminating ‘jihad’, is it wrong? If they say that in a democratic way, then it should be supported by every government and citizen of the country.” He further said, “I want to congratulate our CM Pushkar Singh Dhami that he had ordered the demolition of around 1,000 mazars…”
Another participant could be heard appealing to the gathering: “Don’t buy anything from them. You should trade only among yourselves…” President of Hindu Raksha Sena, Prabodhanand Giri, who could be seen coordinating with the speakers on stage, said, “Peace will not come in the world unless every ‘jihadi’ is eliminated.” Speaking with TOI on Monday about his comments, Giri added, “The state government should stop tourism and instead promote pilgrimage in Devbhoomi…(but) many non-Hindus are infiltrating into the state.”
This story was originally published in timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Read the full story here