Anti-Muslim hate-peddling priest Yati Narsinghanand was booked along with other speakers on Sunday for hate speeches made at a “Hindu Mahapanchayat” and instigating violence against the community.
Narsinghanand, who is out on bail, for the hate speech he delivered in Haridwar last year, stoked yet another controversy with his comment that “50 per cent of Hindus will convert” in 20 years if a Muslim becomes the prime minister of India.
Addressing the “Hindu Mahapanchayat” for which the Delhi administration had not granted permission, he also exhorted Hindus to take up arms to fight for their existence.
Police said they had denied permission for the event but the organisers still went ahead with the “Mahapanchayat Sabha” and around 700-800 people were present at the venue.
‘Save India Foundation’, which organised the event is the same group that had organised a similar event at Jantar Mantar last year, where slogans calling for violence against Muslims were raised. Preet Singh, president of the ‘Save India Foundation’, was granted bail on September 24. Pinky Chaudhary alias Bhupendar Tomar, a Hindu Raksha Dal leader, was granted bail on September 30.
In his speech, Narsinghanand said, “Once a Muslim becomes the prime minister, 50 per cent Hindus will convert, 40 per cent will be killed and the remaining 10 per cent will either live in refugee camps or in other countries in the next 20 years.”
“This will be the future of the Hindus. If you want to avoid this future, then become a man and take up arms,” he said.
Some of the journalists who had gone to cover the event alleged they were beaten up by members of the audience. The journalists include freelancer Arbab Ali, Meer Faisal from The Hindustan Gazette, photojournalist Mohd Meherbaan and The Quint’s Meghnad Bose.
The Muslim journalists alleged they were abused and beaten up because of their religion. Arbab Ali, who had gone as press representative of Article 14 told The Cognate, “I was harassed by the right-wing mob and was called names such as Jihadi. The condition here is scary, the other journalists were even beaten by the mob”.
Two FIRs, one of which is on charges of molestation, causing hurt and attempted snatching, have been registered based on the complaints of the journalists.