By Abdul Bari Masoud / Muslim Mirror

New Delhi: Almost one week has passed but the Delhi Police have yet to act on their own three FIRs filed against the organizers of the ‘Hindu Mahapanchyat,’ where five journalists, including four Muslim journalists, were allegedly beaten up by an ultra Hindutva mob and incendiary speeches were delivered by one Yati Narsinghanand, who is currently on bail.

Furthermore, the Police also did not act on a complaint filed by the Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) against the event’s organizers with the Delhi Police Commissioner, DCP North West Delhi, and SHO, Mukherjee Nagar Police Station. The event was held illegally on Sunday, April 3 in Burari, in the northwestern part of the National Capital.

In its complaint, the PUCL alleged that the organisers of the ‘Save India Foundation’ gave criminal hate speeches at Burari, Delhi on April 3, 2022, and brutally attacked journalists who went to cover the event.

Speaking with Muslim Mirror, N.D.Pancholi, one of the complainants and vice president of PUCL, said it is a matter of grave concern and outrageous that the police did not act on their complaint till date.

“We are pained to learn from various news reports that a public meeting was organized under the banner of ‘Save India Foundation’ naming it ‘Hindu Mahapanchayat’ in which hate speeches were made against the Muslim community and a number of journalists were severely beaten who had gone there to cover the event 3rd April 2022”, the complaint stated.

In a video, as per reports shared by AA News, one Yati Narsinghanand is seen speaking at the event in which he goes on to target the Muslims and incite Hindus to pick up weapons. He is reported to have said in Hindi “In 20 years, 40% Hindus will be killed. If you want to change this, be a man. A man keeps weapons,” it further stated.

The event was being organised under the banner of the ‘Save India Foundation’ run by Preet Singh, a follower of controversial priest Yati Narsighanand. The organisers had also invited Sudarshan News editor Suresh Chavhanke as one of the chief guests at the ‘Mahapanchayat’. Such hate speeches were made in the presence of hundreds of people who were attending the event. ‘Save India Foundation’ is said to be run by one Preet Singh who is said to be a follower of Yati Narsinghanand. Many news portals have given detailed accounts as to what happened at the spot.

A report of what had happened at the “mahapnachyat” was attached with the complaint:

“Meer Faisal of The Hindustan Gazette, photojournalist Md Meharban, and Newslaundry journalists, Shivangi Saxena and Ronak Bhat, were assaulted at the event. Arbab Ali, who was covering the event for Article 14, Meghnad Bose, a reporter at The Quint and another journalist who did not wish to be identified were verbally abused.

In a series of tweets, Ali said he and Faisal were interviewing people at the event when they were attacked.

He added that Hindutva supremacists Yati Narsinghanand and Suresh Chavhanke – who have earlier made hate speeches against Muslims – were among those who attended the event.

Those who attended Sunday’s event were also making communal speeches, Ali said in his tweet.

“Suddenly, a group of right-wingers came to us and snatched our cameras and phones,” Ali said in a tweet. “They asked us our names. When Meer and I told them our name, they called us jihadi.”

Ali alleged that Faisal and he were made to sit separately and delete the videos they had shot at the event. Faisal was allegedly hit on his head and Ali pushed around.

“The mob started saying that ‘we should be beaten for this” as if covering the event was a crime and being Muslim is a crime,” Ali wrote in a tweet.

Even as police tried to take Ali and Faisal away, the mob tried to stop them. Later, some police personnel in plain clothes pushed them inside a van. One of the Hindutva group members even entered the van and punched a policeman.

Ali, Faisal, Bose, Meherban and the journalist who did not want to be identified, were then taken away in the police van to the Mukherjee Nagar Police station, as people in the mob allegedly called others to follow them.

The journalists were made to sit at the police station for an hour before being escorted to their homes, Ali said in his tweets.

Faisal confirmed to the Scroll.in that he and Meherban had been beaten up. The police at the Mukherjee Nagar police station took their statement on the matter. “Police are behaving well…Nothing problematic about them,” he told Scroll.in.”

Yati Narsinghanand has a previous record of making hate speeches against the Muslims, especially at Dharam Sansad at Haridwar (Uttarakhand) in December last and is out on bail.

It stated that “The organizers of the event and who made hate speeches are poisoning the peaceful environment of our society. Their act is covered within the provisions of Section 153-A, 295-A and 504 Indian Penal Code. As they are promoting disharmony, enmity, feelings of hatred, ill-will between Hindus and Muslims on the ground of religion”.

We have asked the Police to make appropriate investigation in the matter so that the perpetrators of the said criminal offences are duly dealt with and punished, said Advocate Pancholi.

He said if the police do not proceed against these hate-peddlers, then we will move to the court.

Meanwhile, Qurban Ali,who moved a petition in the supreme court against Haridwar Dharma Sansad, said they will once again approach the apex court in the matter.

This article first appeared on muslimmirror.com