PUNE–The Ahmednagar Police in Maharashtra has lodged an FIR against controversial and far right radical Hindutva priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Mahant of Gaziabad-based Dasna Devi Mandir Trust delivering inflammatory and communal speeches against former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam and the muslim community.
The FIR under IPC sections 153 A, 153 B, 295 A and 505 was lodged at Topkhana Police Station after the district court issued an order directing the district police to register a case under section 156 (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC).
Architect Arshid Shaikh, Bahirnath Wakale and Anand Lokhande had filed a petition in the district court on July 23, 2021, seeking criminal case be lodged against the rightwing leader through civil rights lawyer Advocate Asim Sarode.
Reacting to the development Advocate Sarode said, “After the registration of the FIR, there are only three options before the accused. First: Narsinghanand will have to approach the district court for bail, challenge the FIR in the high court or get arrested by Ahmednagar Police.”
The petitioners in their statement released after FIR registration said, “Rabid communalist elements like Narsinghanand are attacking the unity of the nation and must be sent behind the bars. Hardcore terrorists like him give inhuman calls like genocide of Muslims during the Dharmasansad held recently. Such violent extremists must be arrested and sent into long term imprisonment to maintain peace and communal harmony in the society. We appreciate the strong step taken by Ahmednagar Police to book the enemy of the nation under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” they added.
The police have booked him under IPC 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 153 B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505 (statement conducing to public mischief).
The FIR stated, “Yati Narsinghanand’s communal speech was circulated on youtube and Punjab Kesari newspaper online where he addressed former Indian President A.P.J Abdul Kalam as a Jehadi number 1. During his tenure, he gave the nuclear bomb formulas to Pakistan. While he was the director of DRDO and President, many Hindu scientists were assassinated. He was connected to terrorist Afzal guru and for that he had commissioned a special cell in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Darul Uloom Deoband were transforming India into Afghanistan.In 2029, there will be a Muslim Prime Minister of India who will lead the country into darkness.” the FIR added.
Narsinghanand is a controversial religious leader of Hindu right, who hails from the North Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. He is amongst several other Hindutva leaders with ties to BJP, who delivered inflammatory speeches against the Muslim community and Islam in India with the aim of inciting hatred and violence against the minority community. He was arrested in one of the hate speech related cases and booked in more than twenty other cases for his controversial and hateful speeches against Muslims and female politicians. Narsinghanand’s original name is Deepak Tyagi and he is an engineer from Russia and worked in the UK before returning to India and joining the Dasna temple as a priest in 2007.
Arshid Shaikh, one of the petitioners said, “Yati Narsinghanand is a repeat offendor who is not only against Muslims but he is a sworn enemy of truth and humanity. He has given hate-filled speeches and spoke in a derogatory language about women. He must be punished for crimes against humanity and the FIR against him in Ahmednagar district is a positive step in prosecuting him for promoting enmity in the society.” he said.
This article first appeared on indiatomorrow.net